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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · straw · lash · track · shower · ball · press · root

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. court — of law
  4. press — to push
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. press — newspapers
  8. track — a path
  9. root — the cause
  10. court — for sport
  11. track — a song
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. shower — rain
  14. track — to keep track
  15. court — of a king
  16. press — a publisher
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. root — of a plant
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. root — of a word
  23. shower — to wash
  24. straw — a straw man

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