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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rule — a law
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. scale — size or range
  7. stem — to come from
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. rule — government
  19. court — of a king
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. field — for sport
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. degree — an amount
  24. court — for sport

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