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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. court — of a king
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bound — obliged
  7. court — of law
  8. hand — help
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kid — child
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bound — certain
  14. court — for sport
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ball — a dance
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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