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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. court — of a king
  4. wax — to grow
  5. root — of a word
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. court — of law
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. capital — money
  23. court — for sport
  24. root — the cause

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