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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. root — of a plant
  4. file — a tool
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. root — the cause
  10. court — of law
  11. perch — the fish
  12. root — of a word
  13. file — a line of people
  14. court — for sport
  15. rash — hasty
  16. court — of a king
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bass — low music
  19. file — a document
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bass — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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