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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. kid — child
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. court — for sport
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. court — of law
  11. bear — the animal
  12. suit — to fit
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. suit — in cards
  15. pop — music
  16. court — of a king
  17. pop — to visit
  18. stem — to come from
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. kid — to tease
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chair — a leader

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