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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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 law
  2. swing — music
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. swing — to play on
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stock — shares
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rest — a break
  18. stock — goods
  19. court — of a king
  20. bulb — for light
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. swing — in golf
  23. court — for sport
  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