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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mate — a friend
  3. court — of a king
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. mate — to breed
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cap — of ice
  12. press — to push
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bear — the animal
  16. field — farmland
  17. mate — a partner
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cap — a hat
  24. court — of law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com