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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 120 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: last · bore · court · present · can · sharp · root · straw

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. present — the time now
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. court — of a king
  5. bore — to tire
  6. root — of a word
  7. present — there
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bore — to drill
  12. last — final
  13. court — for sport
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. court — of law
  16. can — a tin
  17. sharp — clever
  18. last — to go on
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. root — the cause
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. present — a gift
  24. last — finally

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