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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. foot — a measure
  3. march — music
  4. stem — to come from
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. staff — employees
  9. court — of a king
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. staff — employees
  12. cue — a hint
  13. root — the cause
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. saw — the tool
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. court — for sport
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. staff — a stick
  24. court — of law

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