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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. row — to paddle
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rock — music
  6. court — of a king
  7. rock — a stone
  8. court — of law
  9. root — of a word
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rest — a break
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. root — the cause
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. row — a line
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rest — what's left

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