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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 124 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rule — government
  9. clip — a video
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rule — a law
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pitch — completely
  15. court — for sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. foot — a measure
  24. stem — a stem cell

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