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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. club — a group
  3. court — of law
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. hand — in cards
  7. object — a thing
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. object — to protest
  12. pit — a hole
  13. fall — the season
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fall — to drop
  17. hand — help
  18. court — for sport
  19. object — an aim
  20. club — for golf
  21. fall — to drop
  22. court — of a king
  23. club — for dancing
  24. date — on the calendar

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