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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. kick — in football
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. can — a tin
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bat — the animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. can — a tin
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — of law
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. court — for sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stem — a stem cell

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