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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. club — for golf
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. court — for sport
  8. fine — all right
  9. root — the cause
  10. snap — to click
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. root — of a plant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. club — a group
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. club — for dancing
  19. board — a committee
  20. fine — high quality
  21. board — to get on
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. root — of a word

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