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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — to play on
  6. face — to confront
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stock — goods
  9. rock — a stone
  10. face — part of the head
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — music
  14. court — of law
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stock — shares
  17. field — farmland
  18. court — for sport
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. swing — music

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