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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. court — of law
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mug — a face
  7. cap — a hat
  8. clip — for paper
  9. court — for sport
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. court — of a king
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mug — a cup
  17. snap — to click
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mug — to rob
  22. clip — a video
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rash — on the skin

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