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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.

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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. court — for sport
  3. last — to go on
  4. root — of a plant
  5. cap — a hat
  6. fall — the season
  7. court — of a king
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fall — to drop
  14. last — final
  15. cap — a lid
  16. last — finally
  17. bulb — for light
  18. root — of a word
  19. court — of law
  20. root — the cause
  21. spell — magic
  22. cap — of ice
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bulb — of a plant

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