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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 · spring · root · object · mine · foot · bowl · net

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. object — to protest
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. net — after costs
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. root — of a plant
  10. court — for sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. root — the cause
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. object — an aim
  15. net — for catching
  16. root — of a word
  17. court — of law
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. court — of a king
  21. net — in sport
  22. spring — of water
  23. object — a thing
  24. foot — part of the body

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