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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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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: bowl · calf · key · root · court · perch · rush · chest

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. chest — a box
  4. court — for sport
  5. key — for a lock
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rush — hurry
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. key — the most important part
  11. court — of law
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. key — in music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. court — of a king
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. root — of a word
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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