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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 120 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bass — the fish
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bass — low music
  5. court — of a king
  6. drill — the tool
  7. root — of a plant
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. root — of a word
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. last — to go on
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. sharp — clever

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