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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pound — a weight
  9. root — the cause
  10. bulb — for light
  11. track — a path
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. track — a song
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. court — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. court — of a king
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. racket — for tennis

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