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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. court — of a king
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stem — to come from
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. court — for sport
  17. spell — magic
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lean — to bend
  23. drill — army training
  24. court — of law

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