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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. last — finally
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. last — final
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. court — of a king
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rest — a break
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. court — of law
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. last — to go on
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. court — for sport
  16. mug — a face
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rest — what's left

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