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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: calf · root · scale · deal · racket · court · squash · stock

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. scale — in music
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. court — for sport
  8. root — of a plant
  9. court — of a king
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. deal — to handle
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. scale — size or range
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. root — of a word
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. stock — goods
  19. court — of law
  20. stock — shares
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. squash — the sport
  24. root — the cause

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