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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kick — in football
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. court — of law
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. file — a line of people
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stem — to come from
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. court — for sport
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. race — a contest
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. file — a tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. file — a document

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