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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: court · straw · rule · mine · mug · root · face · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. clip — to cut
  6. court — of law
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. rule — government
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. face — to confront
  12. mug — a face
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rule — a law
  15. clip — a video
  16. root — of a word
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mug — to rob
  19. court — of a king
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. court — for sport
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mine — belonging to me

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