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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 116 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: rock · mine · mug · mate · cell · court · root · stick

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. root — of a word
  7. mate — a partner
  8. root — of a plant
  9. court — of a king
  10. rock — music
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. court — of law
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. court — for sport
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mine — for digging
  21. root — the cause
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cell — in biology

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