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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. staff — employees
  3. object — an aim
  4. court — of a king
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. staff — a stick
  7. land — ground
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. pop — music
  10. object — to protest
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. court — of law
  14. shower — rain
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pop — to visit
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pop — soda
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. foot — a measure
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. court — for sport
  24. staff — employees

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