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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. court — of law
  3. chest — of your body
  4. swing — music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitch — completely
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. court — for sport
  11. stand — to bear
  12. swing — in golf
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stem — to come from
  20. court — of a king
  21. bulb — for light
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bulb — for light
  24. chest — a box

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