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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: suit · court · root · land · mine · key · face · pass

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. suit — clothes
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. court — for sport
  7. land — a country
  8. key — for a lock
  9. face — to point toward
  10. suit — to fit
  11. land — to come down
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. root — the cause
  16. land — ground
  17. court — of law
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pass — a permit
  20. suit — in cards
  21. court — of a king
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. face — to confront
  24. key — in music

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