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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. court — of law
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rule — a law
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stem — to come from
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. court — of a king
  19. rule — government
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. season — in sport

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