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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. root — of a plant
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wax — to grow
  5. root — the cause
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. club — a group
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. root — of a word
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. degree — from a university
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. snap — to click
  19. rush — hurry
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. club — for golf
  24. degree — an amount

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