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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mark — a trace
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. capital — a city
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. lean — thin
  11. court — of law
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cue — for pool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cue — a hint
  16. court — of a king
  17. mark — a grade
  18. court — for sport
  19. cue — a signal
  20. lean — to bend
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. capital — money
  24. lean — to rest against

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