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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. root — the cause
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — of law
  17. root — of a plant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. foot — a measure
  23. root — of a word
  24. bowl — a dish

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