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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. court — for sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. stem — to come from
  9. court — of a king
  10. key — in music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. charge — a price
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. charge — in control
  23. court — of law
  24. kid — child

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