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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. bulb — for light
  3. charge — a price
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. root — of a word
  9. chest — a box
  10. court — of law
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bulb — for light
  16. court — for sport
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. court — of a king
  21. shower — rain
  22. charge — electricity
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chest — of your body

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