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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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. court — of law
  3. ball — a great time
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. root — of a word
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. root — the cause
  14. ground — the earth
  15. court — of a king
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mark — a grade
  18. court — for sport
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. squash — the sport
  23. ground — a position
  24. ball — a dance

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