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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: stem · ball · hide · court · stand · straw · toast · present

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. stand — to bear
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ball — a great time
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. present — the time now
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. present — there
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. toast — bread
  15. present — a gift
  16. court — of a king
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. court — for sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. court — of law
  24. stem — of a plant

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