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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. ball — a dance
  3. staff — employees
  4. track — a song
  5. bound — obliged
  6. track — to keep track
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. staff — a stick
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. root — of a word
  14. staff — employees
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bound — certain
  17. court — of law
  18. season — in sport
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. kick — in football
  21. track — a path
  22. bound — tied together
  23. ball — a great time
  24. season — of the year

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