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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. root — of a word
  2. track — a path
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. craft — a skill
  8. court — of law
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. last — to go on
  11. court — of a king
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bass — low music
  17. craft — boats
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. bass — the fish
  21. deal — to handle
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. court — for sport
  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