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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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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: cabinet · sharp · root · racket · bat · track · court · hand

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. root — of a plant
  7. track — to keep track
  8. court — of a king
  9. bat — the animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. court — for sport
  17. hand — help
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. track — a song
  20. root — of a word
  21. court — of law
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. hand — in cards
  24. track — a path

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