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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. court — of a king
  3. root — of a plant
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spell — letters
  6. tear — from crying
  7. face — to confront
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. root — of a word
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. tear — from crying
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. face — part of the head
  17. spell — magic
  18. root — the cause
  19. spell — a short time
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. tear — to rip
  22. game — a match
  23. face — to point toward
  24. safe — a strongbox

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