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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. court — of a king
  2. pit — a hole
  3. court — of law
  4. pop — soda
  5. land — ground
  6. court — for sport
  7. pit — in a race
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. season — of the year
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pop — to visit
  15. stand — to bear
  16. season — in sport
  17. pop — music
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. prune — to trim
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  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