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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stem — to come from
  6. court — of law
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. lean — to bend
  10. degree — temperature
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. vault — a safe
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lean — thin
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mine — belonging to me

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