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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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Word bank
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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: sharp · toast · hide · court · land · stem · mark · pound

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mark — a grade
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. land — to come down
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. court — of law
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. pound — a weight
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mark — a trace
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. sharp — clever
  19. court — for sport
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. toast — bread
  24. pound — to hit hard

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