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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fine — all right
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. field — a subject
  7. pop — music
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. field — farmland
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. firm — a company
  16. court — for sport
  17. firm — steady
  18. bore — to tire
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. firm — decided
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. field — for sport
  24. fine — a penalty

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