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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. root — of a word
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rash — a series
  7. bulb — for light
  8. root — of a plant
  9. court — of a king
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bass — the fish
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. court — of law
  17. mate — a partner
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. root — the cause
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bass — low music

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