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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. court — of law
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. court — of a king
  9. saw — the tool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cue — a hint
  14. court — for sport
  15. foot — a measure
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hand — help
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stem — to come from
  24. foot — the bottom

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