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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · date · capital · net · court · hide · stem · press

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. court — for sport
  3. pit — a hole
  4. capital — money
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. net — in sport
  9. stem — to come from
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pit — in a race
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. net — after costs
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. capital — a city
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. date — the fruit
  22. net — for catching
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. capital — a big letter

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