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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. present — a gift
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. court — for sport
  11. perch — the fish
  12. clip — for paper
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mate — a partner
  17. lie — to recline
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. clip — a video
  20. mate — to breed
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mate — a friend
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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