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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: cold · root · staff · court · ball · face · dip · mine

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. staff — employees
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. staff — a stick
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. face — part of the head
  15. staff — employees
  16. root — the cause
  17. court — of a king
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. ball — a great time

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