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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. can — a tin
  4. game — a match
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pop — music
  7. root — of a word
  8. pop — soda
  9. fall — to drop
  10. court — of a king
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. can — to be able to
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fall — the season
  16. court — for sport
  17. root — the cause
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pop — to visit
  20. root — of a plant
  21. game — wild animals
  22. court — of law
  23. can — a tin
  24. fall — to drop

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