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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stand — to bear
  3. court — of law
  4. capital — money
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. rock — music
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. club — a group
  11. court — of a king
  12. capital — a city
  13. rock — a stone
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. club — for dancing
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. club — for golf
  18. deal — to handle
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. stem — of a plant
  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