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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. court — of law
  5. chair — a leader
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fall — the season
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pit — in a race
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. fall — to drop
  22. court — for sport
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. hide — to keep secret

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