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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. court — of law
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. land — to come down
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stand — to bear
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. land — a country
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pop — music
  15. court — for sport
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. dip — to sink
  18. land — ground
  19. pop — soda
  20. swing — to play on
  21. court — of a king
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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