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

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cue — a hint
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. root — of a word
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. net — after costs
  11. root — the cause
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. kick — in football
  14. cue — for pool
  15. net — for catching
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. branch — a division
  18. root — of a plant
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cue — a signal
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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