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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: ball · staff · march · court · scale · root · hand · pitcher

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. staff — a stick
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. scale — in music
  8. root — the cause
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. ball — a dance
  12. court — of law
  13. staff — employees
  14. hand — in cards
  15. march — the month
  16. staff — employees
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. scale — size or range
  20. court — of a king
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. root — of a word
  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