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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 116 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. court — of law
  3. row — a line
  4. court — of a king
  5. season — of the year
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. court — for sport
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bulb — for light
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. charge — in control
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mug — a cup
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mug — a face
  19. charge — a price
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. root — of a word
  22. drill — the tool
  23. root — of a plant
  24. season — in sport

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