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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. court — for sport
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. rest — a break
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. file — a tool
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rest — what's left
  20. root — of a word
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. root — the cause
  24. mine — for digging

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