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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. root — of a word
  3. wind — moving air
  4. court — of a king
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bank — for money
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. hand — help
  11. face — to point toward
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bank — of a river
  14. face — part of the head
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. face — to confront
  22. ball — a dance
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bank — for money

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