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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rule — government
  3. pop — soda
  4. rule — a law
  5. ground — a position
  6. root — of a plant
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rush — hurry
  13. court — of a king
  14. ground — the earth
  15. court — for sport
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. root — the cause
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. root — of a word
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pop — music

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