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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. shower — to wash
  6. deal — to handle
  7. court — of a king
  8. spring — of water
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. spring — the season
  11. court — for sport
  12. spring — a coil
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. roll — a list
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. court — of law
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. roll — a cake
  24. shower — rain

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