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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. march — music
  5. root — the cause
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. can — a tin
  8. root — of a word
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — of water
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — the season
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mate — to breed
  23. court — for sport
  24. root — of a plant

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