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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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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: rest · drill · root · lie · arm · court · season · swing

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. root — of a word
  4. swing — in golf
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. drill — a practice
  8. root — of a plant
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. drill — army training
  13. court — for sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. swing — to play on
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. drill — the tool
  19. swing — music
  20. season — of the year
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rest — a break
  23. root — the cause
  24. arm — part of the body

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