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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. court — of a king
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fork — in a road
  5. root — of a word
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. march — the month
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. plane — a tool
  13. court — of law
  14. root — the cause
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. court — for sport
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. key — the most important part
  20. march — music
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. march — the month
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. plane — in geometry

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