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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. face — to confront
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spell — letters
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. court — of a king
  11. face — part of the head
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spell — magic
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pass — a permit
  17. face — to point toward
  18. court — for sport
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. root — the cause
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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