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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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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. court — of law
  5. root — the cause
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fall — the season
  9. court — for sport
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bass — low music
  12. court — of a king
  13. mate — to breed
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bass — the fish
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rest — a break
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. racket — for tennis

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