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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. branch — a division
  4. sharp — clever
  5. present — there
  6. root — the cause
  7. ground — a position
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. court — for sport
  13. dip — to sink
  14. present — the time now
  15. root — of a word
  16. fork — in a road
  17. ground — the earth
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. root — of a plant
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. ground — crushed
  24. present — a gift

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