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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. root — of a plant
  3. lean — thin
  4. court — of law
  5. capital — a city
  6. root — the cause
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bound — certain
  9. season — of the year
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. court — for sport
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. capital — money
  16. season — in sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. track — a path
  19. lean — to bend
  20. root — of a word
  21. track — to keep track
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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