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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. current — of water
  4. wound — an injury
  5. court — of a king
  6. wound — an injury
  7. root — of a word
  8. court — of law
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. court — for sport
  11. current — happening now
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. current — electric
  16. root — the cause
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cabinet — ministers

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