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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. date — the fruit
  3. court — of a king
  4. net — after costs
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mate — a friend
  8. net — in sport
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mate — a partner
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mate — to breed
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. court — of law
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. net — for catching
  23. stem — to come from
  24. date — on the calendar

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