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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pop — soda
  6. drill — the tool
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pop — music
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bound — certain
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bound — tied together
  16. court — of a king
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. drill — army training
  21. pop — to visit
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. root — of a plant

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