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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. root — of a plant
  3. track — a path
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. court — of law
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chair — a leader
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. court — for sport
  15. stock — shares
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. root — of a word
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. track — a song
  22. court — of a king
  23. root — the cause
  24. stock — goods

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