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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. scale — in music
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rash — hasty
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mate — a partner
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. court — for sport
  13. game — wild animals
  14. court — of law
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. game — a match
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rash — a series
  19. court — of a king
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. scale — size or range

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