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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: rest · trunk · race · root · nail · court · key · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. court — of a king
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rest — a break
  6. race — a contest
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. ball — a dance
  10. court — for sport
  11. key — for a lock
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rest — what's left
  15. court — of law
  16. key — the most important part
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. root — of a plant
  19. key — in music
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rest — what's left
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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