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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: racket · object · cue · jam · court · root · band · last

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. band — a ring
  3. object — to protest
  4. cue — for pool
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cue — a signal
  7. last — to go on
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. band — a music group
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. object — a thing
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. root — the cause
  19. cue — a hint
  20. court — for sport
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. object — an aim

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