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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rule — government
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. court — of a king
  5. row — a line
  6. plane — a tool
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. row — to paddle
  10. court — for sport
  11. root — the cause
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rule — a law
  19. season — in sport
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. court — of law

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