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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. pop — to visit
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. last — final
  14. root — of a word
  15. last — finally
  16. bat — the animal
  17. last — to go on
  18. root — the cause
  19. pop — soda
  20. court — of a king
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lie — to recline
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pop — 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