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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. root — of a word
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. court — of law
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. root — the cause
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. snap — to click
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. court — of a king
  23. pass — to spend time
  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