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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: root · court · kick · sharp · spell · band · jam · ground

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. ground — a position
  3. root — of a word
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. root — the cause
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ground — crushed
  9. spell — a short time
  10. kick — in football
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. band — a music group
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. court — for sport
  16. spell — magic
  17. ground — the earth
  18. spell — letters
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. root — of a plant
  24. jam — in traffic

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