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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. root — of a plant
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. face — to point toward
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. prune — to trim
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pass — a permit
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. face — to confront
  18. court — of law
  19. face — part of the head
  20. root — of a word
  21. court — for sport
  22. root — the cause
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — a tight spot

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