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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pound — a weight
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — in football
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. club — a group
  9. last — to go on
  10. court — of a king
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. club — for golf
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. court — of law
  18. club — for dancing
  19. last — final
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stem — to come from
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. last — finally

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