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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. row — to paddle
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. kid — child
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. squash — to crush
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. kid — to tease
  12. key — the most important part
  13. court — for sport
  14. root — of a plant
  15. court — of law
  16. key — in music
  17. root — the cause
  18. key — for a lock
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. root — of a word
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pitch — completely
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. row — a line

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