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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. court — for sport
  3. pop — soda
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. root — the cause
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. root — of a word
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. court — of law
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pop — to visit
  16. court — of a king
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. pit — a hole
  20. stock — goods
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pop — music
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. trunk — of a car

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