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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bound — tied together
  3. can — to be able to
  4. root — the cause
  5. can — a tin
  6. court — of a king
  7. can — a tin
  8. root — of a plant
  9. last — final
  10. root — of a word
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bound — certain
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. court — of law
  15. rest — a break
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — the fish
  22. last — finally
  23. court — for sport
  24. rest — what's left

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