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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. march — the month
  3. land — ground
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. court — of law
  6. march — music
  7. land — a country
  8. charge — in control
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. charge — a price
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. land — to come down
  15. march — the month
  16. root — of a word
  17. prune — to trim
  18. court — for sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. root — of a plant
  22. charge — electricity
  23. root — the cause
  24. temple — a place of worship

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