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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. root — the cause
  4. squash — to crush
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. tear — from crying
  8. root — of a plant
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mine — for digging
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. root — of a word
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rush — hurry
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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