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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. charge — electricity
  7. root — the cause
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. court — for sport
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rock — music
  12. court — of a king
  13. charge — in control
  14. rock — a stone
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. court — of law
  17. charge — a price
  18. shower — rain
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. mark — a trace
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. nail — for a hammer

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