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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pitch — completely
  3. last — finally
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. spring — of water
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. last — final
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. court — for sport
  16. last — to go on
  17. rash — a series
  18. spring — the season
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wound — an injury

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