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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. root — the cause
  3. squash — to crush
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. court — of a king
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ground — a position
  10. ball — a dance
  11. court — of law
  12. root — of a word
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wake — a trail
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. court — for sport
  20. squash — the sport
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. root — of a plant
  24. ground — the earth

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