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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rule — government
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cue — a signal
  9. track — a song
  10. rule — a law
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cue — for pool
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. root — of a plant
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. cue — a hint
  22. land — ground
  23. root — the cause
  24. file — a tool

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