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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. key — in music
  3. court — of law
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. court — of a king
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. court — for sport
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cap — a lid
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cap — a hat
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. can — a tin
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fork — in a road
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cap — of ice

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