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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. content — the amount
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. court — of law
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. court — for sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. ground — crushed
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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