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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cell — a phone
  3. court — of a king
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. key — the most important part
  10. court — of law
  11. game — wild animals
  12. current — electric
  13. stock — goods
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — of water
  16. stem — to come from
  17. court — for sport
  18. current — happening now
  19. key — for a lock
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. game — a match

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