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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 120 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: cue · root · rule · court · march · leaves · rest · pass

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. rest — what's left
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rest — a break
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. root — the cause
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. root — of a word
  14. march — music
  15. court — of law
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — for pool
  18. rule — a law
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. cue — a hint
  21. root — of a plant
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. court — of a king
  24. cue — a signal

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