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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 124 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stem — to come from
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rule — government
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rule — a law
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bound — certain
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. leaves — of a tree

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