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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: can · court · race · ruler · hide · perch · root · foot

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. court — for sport
  3. perch — the fish
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. can — a tin
  6. root — of a word
  7. can — a tin
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. can — to be able to
  11. root — of a plant
  12. race — humankind
  13. court — of law
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. court — of a king
  17. race — a contest
  18. foot — a measure
  19. root — the cause
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. race — the arms race

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