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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 116 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: fan · suit · degree · court · sharp · perch · root · rock

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rock — a stone
  9. sharp — clever
  10. degree — from a university
  11. perch — the fish
  12. degree — temperature
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. root — of a word
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. root — the cause
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. degree — an amount
  19. root — of a plant
  20. suit — in cards
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. sharp — with an edge

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