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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 124 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. stand — to bear
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. root — of a plant
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. staff — employees
  12. net — in sport
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. net — after costs
  15. court — for sport
  16. season — in sport
  17. root — the cause
  18. season — of the year
  19. staff — a stick
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — for catching
  24. fine — high quality

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