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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. field — farmland
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. field — a subject
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. key — in music
  9. lean — to bend
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. stem — to come from
  16. court — of law
  17. lean — thin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. key — the most important part
  23. court — for sport
  24. stem — of a plant

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