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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 124 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. spring — a coil
  3. court — for sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. drill — army training
  6. foot — a measure
  7. drill — a practice
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. court — of a king
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pop — soda
  14. root — of a word
  15. pop — to visit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pop — music
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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