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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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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: root · rest · mate · club · court · snap · scale · field

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rest — a break
  4. scale — size or range
  5. field — a subject
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. club — for dancing
  8. scale — in music
  9. snap — to click
  10. club — for golf
  11. rest — what's left
  12. court — of law
  13. field — for sport
  14. mate — to breed
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rest — what's left
  19. club — a group
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. root — the cause
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. field — farmland

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