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

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rest — what's left
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rest — a break
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. court — of law
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. lie — to recline
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mug — a face
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cold — an illness
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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