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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. ground — crushed
  4. court — for sport
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cap — of ice
  10. court — of law
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cap — a hat
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stem — to come from
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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