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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mate — a friend
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chip — for betting
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. spring — of water
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wound — an injury
  10. root — of a plant
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. mate — a partner
  14. plane — a tool
  15. board — to get on
  16. spring — the season
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. chip — to eat
  20. board — a committee
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. court — of a king
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. root — the cause

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