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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. drill — army training
  3. court — for sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cap — a hat
  6. root — of a word
  7. court — of a king
  8. root — the cause
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cap — of ice
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. root — of a plant
  17. season — of the year
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pass — a permit
  21. season — in sport
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cap — a lid

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