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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. last — final
  3. court — of a king
  4. last — finally
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. object — a thing
  9. court — for sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. court — of law
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. chest — of your body
  14. object — to protest
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. last — to go on
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. mug — a cup
  22. chest — a box
  23. object — an aim
  24. chest — of your body

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