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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. spring — the season
  3. root — of a word
  4. face — to point toward
  5. sharp — clever
  6. root — of a plant
  7. cue — for pool
  8. spring — of water
  9. court — of law
  10. cue — a hint
  11. root — the cause
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. face — to confront
  14. cue — a signal
  15. face — part of the head
  16. spring — a coil
  17. court — for sport
  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