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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. last — finally
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mug — a cup
  5. plane — a tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. last — to go on
  10. charge — a price
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. court — of a king
  13. mug — to rob
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. last — final
  16. pop — music
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. court — for sport
  21. mug — a face
  22. pop — soda
  23. court — of law
  24. charge — in control

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