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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. stem — to come from
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pass — a permit
  6. court — of law
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. court — for sport
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. track — a path
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. court — of a king
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rest — what's left
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rest — a break
  23. track — a song
  24. rest — what's left

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