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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. court — of a king
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. root — the cause
  5. face — part of the head
  6. root — of a word
  7. face — to confront
  8. capital — money
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bat — the animal
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. court — for sport
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. squash — the sport
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. root — of a plant
  21. court — of law
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. squash — to crush
  24. capital — a city

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