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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — for sport
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fine — all right
  6. court — of a king
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rash — hasty
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. rash — a series
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. court — of law
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. sharp — clever
  20. tube — a container
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. stand — to bear

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