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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
468
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: deal · bore · rash · court · press · root · fan · cell

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cell — a phone
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rash — hasty
  7. court — of a king
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bore — to drill
  11. court — of law
  12. press — a publisher
  13. root — the cause
  14. bore — to tire
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. press — to push
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rash — a series

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