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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. court — of law
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. hand — in cards
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. wound — an injury
  7. toast — bread
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. staff — employees
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. court — for sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. hand — help
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. staff — a stick
  21. court — of a king
  22. staff — employees
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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