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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 124 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. present — the time now
  3. court — of law
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. present — there
  6. current — electric
  7. fine — all right
  8. present — a gift
  9. current — of water
  10. wound — an injury
  11. current — happening now
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mug — a face
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stem — to come from
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. court — of a king
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fine — high quality
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mine — belonging to me

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