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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rush — hurry
  4. court — of a king
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. drill — army training
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. root — the cause
  10. drill — a practice
  11. root — of a plant
  12. sharp — clever
  13. face — to point toward
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. face — to confront
  20. drill — the tool
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. root — of a word

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