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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stem — to come from
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bear — the animal
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bound — certain
  10. court — of law
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. sharp — clever
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bound — obliged
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bear — the animal
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. court — of a king
  24. bear — to put up with

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