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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mark — a grade
  3. root — of a word
  4. snap — to click
  5. last — to go on
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. drill — a practice
  8. court — for sport
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. root — the cause
  12. court — of law
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. root — of a plant
  20. chip — to eat
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mark — a trace

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