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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. court — of a king
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. scale — in music
  6. staff — a stick
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. court — of law
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. staff — employees
  19. root — of a word
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. court — for sport
  24. scale — size or range

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