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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
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: squash · toast · racket · ground · foot · root · hand · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. toast — bread
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. land — to come down
  7. foot — a measure
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ground — the earth
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. ground — crushed
  13. hand — help
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. ground — a position
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. root — the cause
  21. land — a country
  22. hand — in cards
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. hand — part of the body

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