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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. root — the cause
  4. court — of a king
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. root — of a plant
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. swing — to play on
  14. court — of law
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. root — of a word
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitch — completely
  20. court — for sport
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. stem — to come from
  23. swing — music
  24. pass — a permit

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