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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. key — for a lock
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kick — in football
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bass — the fish
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. court — for sport
  16. key — the most important part
  17. branch — a division
  18. perch — the fish
  19. key — in music
  20. root — the cause
  21. bass — low music
  22. root — of a plant
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bass — the instrument

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