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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: roll · mine · court · racket · straw · root

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. court — of law
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. court — for sport
  7. root — the cause
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. root — of a word
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. court — of a king
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list

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