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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: court · nail · kick · bat · dip · leaves · cabinet · stem

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. court — of law
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. stem — to come from
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. court — for sport
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. kick — in football
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. court — of a king
  24. cabinet — ministers

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