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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. last — final
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. court — for sport
  10. last — finally
  11. row — a line
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. court — of a king
  14. last — to go on
  15. court — of law
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. wind — moving air
  19. kick — in football
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rest — what's left
  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