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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. court — of law
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stem — to come from
  10. track — to keep track
  11. degree — an amount
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. court — for sport
  14. track — a path
  15. court — of a king
  16. degree — temperature
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cell — in biology
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — boats
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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