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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. root — of a plant
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — government
  7. court — of law
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. court — of a king
  11. root — the cause
  12. field — for sport
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. root — of a word
  16. rock — a stone
  17. court — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. rule — a law
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. vault — a safe
  24. leaves — lets stay

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