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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. track — a path
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. march — the month
  5. court — of law
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. chair — a leader
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. root — of a word
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. dip — to sink
  15. march — music
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. track — to keep track
  18. court — for sport
  19. track — a song
  20. cold — an illness
  21. march — the month
  22. cold — not warm
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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