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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. court — of law
  3. squash — the sport
  4. court — for sport
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. root — of a word
  7. court — of a king
  8. wound — an injury
  9. track — a song
  10. squash — to crush
  11. drill — a practice
  12. track — a path
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mug — to rob
  16. track — to keep track
  17. drill — the tool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. root — of a plant
  20. drill — army training
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  24. root — the cause

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