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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. firm — a company
  3. present — a gift
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. present — there
  7. content — the amount
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. firm — decided
  12. mug — to rob
  13. firm — steady
  14. court — of a king
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. present — the time now
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. court — for sport
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. content — happy
  24. sharp — clever

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