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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. saw — the tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stem — to come from
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. court — of law
  21. suit — in cards
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. court — for sport
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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