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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. root — of a word
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. spell — a short time
  6. court — for sport
  7. spell — magic
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. spell — letters
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. court — of law
  14. root — the cause
  15. rush — hurry
  16. root — of a plant
  17. last — finally
  18. court — of a king

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