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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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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: root · court · snap · staff · mouse · fan · bulb · game

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. game — a match
  4. staff — employees
  5. root — the cause
  6. staff — employees
  7. snap — to click
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bulb — for light
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. court — of a king
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. root — of a word
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. root — of a plant
  24. court — of law

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