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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. craft — boats
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. suit — clothes
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. kid — child
  11. ground — crushed
  12. court — for sport
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. suit — to fit
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. suit — in cards
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cell — in biology
  22. root — the cause
  23. kid — to tease
  24. craft — a handicraft

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