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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. stock — goods
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mate — to breed
  16. court — of law
  17. stock — shares
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. court — of a king
  20. mate — a friend
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. court — for sport
  23. mate — a partner
  24. stock — a soup base

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