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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. court — for sport
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bank — of a river
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kick — in football
  8. root — the cause
  9. field — farmland
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cue — a hint
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. bank — for money
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. court — of law
  21. root — of a word
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. court — of a king
  24. bank — for money

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