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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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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: mate · kid · wake · court · net · straw · root · rule

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. net — for catching
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rule — a law
  7. root — the cause
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. root — of a word
  16. rule — government
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. kid — child
  23. court — of a king
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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