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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  3. season — of the year
  4. chest — of your body
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. land — a country
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. court — of law
  9. root — the cause
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. chest — a box
  14. land — to come down
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. land — ground
  17. court — for sport
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. chest — of your body
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. root — of a word
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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