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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · saw · ruler · court · season · row · board · root

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. court — of a king
  5. row — a line
  6. row — to paddle
  7. board — a committee
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. root — the cause
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. root — of a word
  12. mark — a grade
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. court — for sport
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. season — in sport
  17. court — of law
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mark — a trace
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. season — of the year
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. board — to get on

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