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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. court — for sport
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cap — a lid
  5. court — of law
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. charge — in control
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cap — of ice
  10. court — of a king
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cap — a hat
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bat — the animal
  19. charge — a price
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. charge — electricity
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stem — a stem cell

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