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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. can — a tin
  3. staff — employees
  4. root — the cause
  5. staff — employees
  6. mark — a trace
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. staff — a stick
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. court — for sport
  13. sharp — clever
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. court — of law
  16. race — the arms race
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. root — of a word
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. race — humankind
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mark — a grade
  24. race — a contest

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