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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. file — a tool
  3. root — of a plant
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. file — a document
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. root — of a word
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. file — a line of people
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pitch — completely
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rush — hurry
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. root — the cause
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. court — of a king
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cue — for pool
  22. court — for sport
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cue — a hint

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