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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. court — of law
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mark — a grade
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. band — a music group
  9. kid — child
  10. kick — in football
  11. cold — an illness
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cold — not warm
  14. band — a ring
  15. mark — a trace
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. root — the cause
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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