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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: capital · racket · court · root · fork · ground · calf · hide

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. court — of law
  3. fork — in a road
  4. root — of a word
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. capital — money
  7. root — the cause
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. court — for sport
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. ground — the earth
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. court — of a king
  16. root — of a plant
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ground — a position
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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