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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. wound — an injury
  3. staff — employees
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wound — an injury
  7. root — the cause
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mark — a grade
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. root — of a word
  13. staff — a stick
  14. root — of a plant
  15. court — of a king
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. court — for sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. tube — a container
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. court — of law
  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