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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · lie · court · pop · mate · calf · snap · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. file — a tool
  3. court — of law
  4. root — the cause
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pop — to visit
  7. snap — to click
  8. root — of a plant
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pop — soda
  12. lie — to recline
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pop — music
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. file — a line of people
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. file — a document

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