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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 116 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. capital — a city
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. firm — decided
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ball — a dance
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. court — for sport
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. firm — a company
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. dip — to sink
  23. capital — money
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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