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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: perch · kid · mate · court · pit · kick · root · rash

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. rash — hasty
  3. root — of a plant
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rash — a series
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mate — a partner
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. root — of a word
  12. court — for sport
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mate — to breed
  15. perch — the fish
  16. court — of law
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pit — in a race
  21. court — of a king
  22. pit — a hole
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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