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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. firm — steady
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. court — of law
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bark — to shout
  8. charge — in control
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. firm — decided
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. root — the cause
  14. charge — a price
  15. firm — a company
  16. capital — a city
  17. charge — electricity
  18. capital — money
  19. court — of a king
  20. root — of a plant
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. court — for sport
  23. plane — a tool
  24. root — of a word

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