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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. board — to get on
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. court — for sport
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mark — a trace
  12. stem — to come from
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. face — to confront
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. court — of law
  20. rush — hurry
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mark — a grade
  23. board — a committee
  24. face — part of the head

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