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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. season — in sport
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. court — of a king
  6. root — of a plant
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. squash — to crush
  11. season — of the year
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. root — the cause
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. face — to point toward
  19. root — of a word
  20. squash — the sport
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. face — to confront
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. court — of law

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