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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. shower — rain
  5. court — for sport
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pop — to visit
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pop — soda
  10. tube — a container
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. object — to protest
  14. tube — the underground
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pop — music
  17. season — of the year
  18. stock — goods
  19. court — of law
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. court — of a king
  22. stock — shares
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — a thing

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