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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. prune — to trim
  3. root — of a word
  4. staff — employees
  5. charge — a price
  6. prune — to trim
  7. staff — a stick
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — electricity
  10. vault — a safe
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. court — of a king
  17. root — the cause
  18. court — of law
  19. root — of a plant
  20. march — the month
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. court — for sport
  23. staff — employees
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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