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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 120 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: court · chip · root · saw · foot · wax · net · rest

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. rest — a break
  4. court — of law
  5. net — for catching
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. root — of a plant
  9. foot — a measure
  10. court — of a king
  11. net — in sport
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. root — of a word
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. saw — the tool
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. root — the cause
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rest — what's left
  24. court — for sport

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