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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. wind — moving air
  5. current — electric
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. root — the cause
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stand — to bear
  14. root — of a word
  15. court — of law
  16. pop — music
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. court — for sport
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pop — soda
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. fine — all right
  24. pit — a hole

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