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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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. drill — a practice
  3. firm — a company
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. court — of a king
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. firm — steady
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. root — the cause
  14. rock — a stone
  15. root — of a word
  16. rock — music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. firm — decided
  20. drill — army training
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. court — for sport
  23. rush — hurry
  24. drill — the tool

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