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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. tear — from crying
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. court — for sport
  6. row — a line
  7. staff — a stick
  8. root — the cause
  9. staff — employees
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. court — of law
  12. saw — the tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. last — finally
  15. court — of a king
  16. last — final
  17. deal — to handle
  18. row — to paddle
  19. tear — to rip
  20. saw — the tool
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. last — to go on

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