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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. lean — thin
  4. court — of a king
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rule — government
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rule — a law
  12. court — of law
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. game — a match
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. court — for sport
  23. degree — from a university
  24. lean — to rest against

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