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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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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: craft · root · date · court · bulb · bat · temple · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. court — for sport
  4. craft — a skill
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. root — the cause
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bulb — for light
  11. craft — boats
  12. bat — the animal
  13. root — of a plant
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. root — of a word
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bulb — for light

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