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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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. arm — a part of something
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. stock — goods
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. court — of law
  8. net — in sport
  9. vault — a safe
  10. staff — employees
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. net — after costs
  14. staff — employees
  15. court — of a king
  16. squash — the sport
  17. court — for sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. net — for catching
  24. stock — shares

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