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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. foot — a measure
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. court — of a king
  5. march — music
  6. lean — to bend
  7. march — the month
  8. root — the cause
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ground — a position
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. court — of law
  18. march — the month
  19. court — for sport
  20. lean — thin
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pitch — completely

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