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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 120 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. file — a tool
  3. court — of law
  4. key — for a lock
  5. court — for sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spell — magic
  8. rash — hasty
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. key — in music
  14. court — of a king
  15. spell — a short time
  16. file — a document
  17. rash — a series
  18. key — the most important part
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. spell — letters
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stem — to come from
  24. foot — the bottom

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