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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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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: present · stem · court · bay · ground · capital · pass · file

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. present — there
  6. file — a document
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. court — of law
  9. ground — the earth
  10. capital — a city
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ground — a position
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. file — a tool
  15. court — for sport
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. capital — money
  20. court — of a king
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stem — to come from

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