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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: mine · leaves · present · root · spell · file · court · toast

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. root — of a plant
  4. spell — magic
  5. root — the cause
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. file — a document
  8. present — a gift
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. root — of a word
  13. present — the time now
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. toast — bread
  16. present — there
  17. court — of law
  18. mine — for digging
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. file — a tool
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. court — for sport
  24. file — a line of people

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