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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. court — of a king
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rush — hurry
  5. spell — letters
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. season — in sport
  9. court — of law
  10. spell — magic
  11. march — the month
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kid — to tease
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stem — to come from
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. march — the month
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. court — for sport
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. march — music
  23. season — of the year
  24. kid — child

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