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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. spell — magic
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. degree — an amount
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. toast — bread
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stem — to come from
  24. date — the fruit

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