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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. rule — a law
  4. stem — to come from
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. sharp — clever
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. court — for sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bulb — for light
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. row — a line
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rule — government

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