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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. court — of law
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ball — a dance
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mug — a face
  12. court — of a king
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. court — for sport
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. roll — a list
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mug — to rob
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mug — a cup

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