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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. court — of a king
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. court — for sport
  5. root — of a word
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bear — the animal
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cold — an illness
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bear — the animal
  14. toast — bread
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. roll — a list
  21. court — of law
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cold — not warm

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