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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. court — for sport
  3. rule — a law
  4. stem — to come from
  5. court — of law
  6. bass — low music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. court — of a king
  14. rule — government
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cue — a signal
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cue — a hint
  23. swing — music
  24. bass — the instrument

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