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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 116 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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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: file · prune · track · firm · charge · root · bat · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. charge — a price
  3. firm — decided
  4. root — the cause
  5. track — a song
  6. firm — a company
  7. file — a document
  8. track — to keep track
  9. root — of a word
  10. bat — the animal
  11. charge — electricity
  12. root — of a plant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. court — of law
  16. charge — in control
  17. file — a tool
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. track — a path
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. court — for sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. file — a line of people
  24. firm — steady

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