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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. root — of a word
  2. key — for a lock
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. present — the time now
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. court — of a king
  8. present — there
  9. scale — in music
  10. present — a gift
  11. net — in sport
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. key — in music
  15. root — the cause
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. scale — size or range
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. sharp — clever
  22. key — the most important part
  23. scale — for weighing
  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