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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. can — a tin
  3. fine — all right
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. track — to keep track
  7. court — for sport
  8. scale — in music
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fine — high quality
  12. stem — to come from
  13. key — in music
  14. court — of law
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. scale — size or range
  19. track — a path
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. track — a song
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. court — of a king
  24. can — a tin

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