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

Word bank: pop · bay · safe · court · pass · ground · rule · stem

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pop — to visit
  5. court — for sport
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. court — of a king
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rule — government
  14. court — of law
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. rule — a law
  23. ground — crushed
  24. rule — to rule out

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