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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. season — of the year
  3. court — of a king
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. court — of law
  7. pass — a permit
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. can — a tin
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. can — to be able to
  19. court — for sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. season — in sport
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. season — to add flavour

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