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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. ball — a dance
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chest — a box
  6. roll — a cake
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cap — of ice
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. court — of law
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stem — to come from
  17. root — of a plant
  18. cap — a hat
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. court — of a king
  22. ball — a great time
  23. court — for sport
  24. cap — a lid

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