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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. clip — a video
  3. court — of law
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. season — of the year
  6. mug — a face
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. court — of a king
  9. firm — a company
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — for sport
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stem — to come from
  18. field — a subject
  19. firm — decided
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. court — for sport
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

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