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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ground — a position
  4. court — for sport
  5. key — the most important part
  6. current — happening now
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. court — of a king
  11. lean — thin
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mate — to breed
  14. ground — crushed
  15. current — of water
  16. court — of law
  17. mate — a partner
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. squash — the sport
  21. key — in music
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ground — the earth
  24. current — electric

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