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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · stick · race · stem · hide · stand

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stem — to come from
  5. court — of a king
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. court — for sport
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. court — of law

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