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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. root — the cause
  4. last — final
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cue — a signal
  7. root — of a word
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pass — a permit
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. court — for sport
  13. cue — a hint
  14. last — finally
  15. root — of a plant
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cue — for pool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. court — of law
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. last — to go on

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