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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
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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 · kick · squash · leaves · root · court · bore · drill

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. root — of a word
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. root — of a plant
  7. drill — army training
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. court — of a king
  13. root — the cause
  14. bore — to drill
  15. squash — the sport
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. drill — the tool
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. court — of law
  22. drill — a practice
  23. kick — in football
  24. bowl — a dish

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