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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rule — government
  4. kick — in football
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. court — for sport
  9. roll — a cake
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. court — of a king
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. track — a path
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rest — what's left
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rest — a break
  20. track — a song
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rule — a law
  23. roll — a list
  24. ball — a round shape

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