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

Word bank: stand · cell · pitcher · court · root · hide · mouse · kid

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. kid — child
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. root — the cause
  9. cell — a phone
  10. court — for sport
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. court — of law
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mouse — the animal

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