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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mark — a trace
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. court — of law
  6. root — the cause
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. present — there
  10. court — for sport
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. present — the time now
  14. root — of a word
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cell — in biology
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rash — a series
  22. cell — a phone
  23. present — a gift
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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