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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. court — of a king
  3. capital — money
  4. stem — to come from
  5. court — for sport
  6. spell — magic
  7. capital — a city
  8. suit — clothes
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. spell — a short time
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. court — of law
  18. band — a ring
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. spell — letters
  21. suit — in cards
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. suit — to fit
  24. band — a music group

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