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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. root — of a word
  4. court — of law
  5. cold — an illness
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. root — the cause
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. court — of a king
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. court — for sport

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