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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. root — the cause
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. row — a line
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. court — of law
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — of a plant
  12. court — for sport
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fall — the season
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. court — of a king
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hide — animal skin

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