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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: toast · cue · root · wind · court · season · plane · charge

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. charge — a price
  3. season — of the year
  4. root — of a word
  5. wind — moving air
  6. court — of a king
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wind — moving air
  11. toast — bread
  12. cue — for pool
  13. court — of law
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cue — a signal
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. court — for sport
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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