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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. race — the arms race
  6. court — for sport
  7. stock — shares
  8. court — of a king
  9. present — a gift
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. race — humankind
  14. stock — goods
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. present — there
  21. race — a contest
  22. key — for a lock
  23. stem — to come from
  24. court — of law

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