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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. court — of law
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — a coil
  5. capital — a city
  6. spring — the season
  7. present — a gift
  8. object — an aim
  9. suit — to fit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. court — for sport
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stem — to come from
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. court — of a king
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spring — of water
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. capital — money
  21. present — the time now
  22. object — a thing
  23. present — there
  24. suit — clothes

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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