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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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. staff — employees
  3. ground — crushed
  4. root — the cause
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. court — for sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. scale — size or range
  9. root — of a word
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. court — of law
  12. ground — a position
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. ground — the earth
  17. staff — a stick
  18. perch — the fish
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. scale — in music
  23. staff — employees
  24. root — of a plant

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