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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. staff — employees
  3. season — of the year
  4. root — the cause
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. season — in sport
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. root — of a word
  15. face — part of the head
  16. key — for a lock
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. key — in music
  20. court — for sport
  21. root — of a plant
  22. key — the most important part
  23. court — of law
  24. row — a line

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