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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. root — of a word
  3. cue — for pool
  4. game — wild animals
  5. roll — a cake
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. wake — a trail
  9. root — of a plant
  10. court — for sport
  11. roll — a list
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. game — a match
  17. cue — a signal
  18. court — of a king
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. root — the cause
  24. court — of law

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