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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. court — for sport
  5. spell — letters
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. spell — magic
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rest — a break
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spell — a short time
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stem — to come from

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