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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. root — of a word
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. club — for dancing
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. court — for sport
  10. club — for golf
  11. court — of a king
  12. dip — to sink
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. club — a group
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bass — low music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. root — the cause
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. root — of a plant

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