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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. root — of a word
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. net — for catching
  5. root — the cause
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. track — a song
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. track — a path
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. track — to keep track
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. net — in sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. net — after costs
  20. wind — moving air
  21. root — of a plant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. court — of a king

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