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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: hide · court · sharp · mouse · fan · ground · root · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. club — a group
  7. ground — a position
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. court — for sport
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. club — for golf
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ground — crushed
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. root — the cause

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