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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — of law
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. root — of a word
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. court — for sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. court — of a king
  21. root — the cause
  22. rock — music
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wave — with your hand

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