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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. craft — boats
  3. court — of a king
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. root — of a word
  6. charge — in control
  7. bat — the animal
  8. field — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. staff — employees
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wind — moving air
  14. charge — a price
  15. field — a subject
  16. court — for sport
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. root — the cause
  19. craft — a skill
  20. field — farmland
  21. charge — electricity
  22. staff — a stick
  23. root — of a plant
  24. staff — employees

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