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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. net — after costs
  3. court — of law
  4. root — of a word
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — for sport
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. root — of a plant
  12. fall — to drop
  13. foot — a measure
  14. net — in sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. fall — to drop
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. net — for catching
  24. root — the cause

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