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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. court — for sport
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. club — for dancing
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. root — of a plant
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. content — the amount
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. club — for golf
  15. root — the cause
  16. shower — rain
  17. club — a group
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. court — of a king
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. content — happy
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. court — of law

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