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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. root — of a plant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — of law
  6. saw — the tool
  7. root — of a word
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. degree — an amount
  15. court — of a king
  16. firm — decided
  17. court — for sport
  18. root — the cause
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. degree — temperature
  21. firm — steady
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. firm — a company

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