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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: mate · court · cell · lie · file · cold · root · can

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mate — a friend
  5. root — of a plant
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. file — a document
  8. cell — a phone
  9. can — a tin
  10. cell — in biology
  11. root — the cause
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. court — of law
  15. cold — not warm
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. can — a tin
  20. lie — to recline
  21. court — for sport
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  24. root — of a word

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