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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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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: root · stock · court · chip · face · shower · file · leaves

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. face — part of the head
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. root — of a plant
  7. chip — for betting
  8. file — a document
  9. chip — to eat
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stock — goods
  14. court — of a king
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. court — of law
  17. face — to confront
  18. file — a tool
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. file — a line of people
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. stock — shares
  23. court — for sport
  24. shower — rain

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