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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 124 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. root — of a plant
  4. content — the amount
  5. rash — hasty
  6. club — for golf
  7. content — happy
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. court — of a king
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. root — the cause
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. suit — clothes
  17. club — a group
  18. band — a music group
  19. club — for dancing
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. court — of law
  23. band — a ring
  24. court — for sport

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