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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rock — music
  5. land — a country
  6. root — the cause
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. staff — employees
  10. root — of a word
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. land — to come down
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. root — of a plant
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. land — ground
  17. court — for sport
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. deal — to handle
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. court — of law
  24. fan — to cool the air

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