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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. court — of a king
  3. bore — to drill
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. court — for sport
  10. land — ground
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mark — a grade
  15. land — to come down
  16. court — of law
  17. root — the cause
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. land — a country
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mark — a trace

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