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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. court — of a king
  5. present — a gift
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bulb — for light
  8. root — of a word
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. court — of law
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. root — the cause
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. root — of a plant
  20. present — the time now
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bulb — for light
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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