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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. court — of law
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rule — government
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mate — to breed
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. kid — child
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. track — a path
  14. mate — a partner
  15. track — a song
  16. court — of a king
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. tube — a container
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stem — to come from
  22. court — for sport
  23. rule — a law
  24. tube — the underground

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