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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. court — for sport
  3. shower — to wash
  4. court — of law
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mate — a partner
  7. court — of a king
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. staff — employees
  11. root — of a plant
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. root — of a word
  16. shower — rain
  17. stem — to come from
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. staff — a stick
  20. squash — to crush
  21. root — the cause
  22. staff — employees
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stem — a stem cell

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