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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. court — of law
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. court — of a king
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bat — the animal
  10. clip — a video
  11. rock — music
  12. clip — to cut
  13. court — for sport
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rock — a stone
  21. root — of a word
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. spring — the season
  24. root — 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