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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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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: rush · root · racket · bark · bat · staff · cue · kick

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. staff — employees
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bark — to shout
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. cue — a hint
  17. kick — in football
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cue — a signal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cue — for pool
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rush — hurry

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