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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 · track · clip · pop · bore · hide · court · key

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. clip — for paper
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bore — to drill
  5. court — for sport
  6. clip — to cut
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. bore — to tire
  10. root — of a word
  11. pop — music
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pop — to visit
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. key — the most important part
  16. court — of a king
  17. pop — soda
  18. track — a path
  19. key — in music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. track — a song
  22. clip — a video
  23. track — to keep track
  24. key — for a lock

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