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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. season — in sport
  3. suit — in cards
  4. clip — for paper
  5. court — of law
  6. scale — in music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. prune — to trim
  9. clip — to cut
  10. court — of a king
  11. chair — a leader
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. court — for sport
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. suit — to fit
  19. stem — to come from
  20. season — of the year
  21. prune — to trim
  22. clip — a video
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. scale — size or range

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