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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 120 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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. ground — crushed
  5. land — a country
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. court — of law
  8. land — ground
  9. court — for sport
  10. ground — a position
  11. root — of a plant
  12. land — to come down
  13. bass — low music
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. root — the cause
  16. court — of a king
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stem — to come from
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stem — 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