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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: cue · court · pitcher · march · root · can · snap · bore

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. root — the cause
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. snap — to click
  6. court — for sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. bore — to tire
  9. cue — for pool
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. root — of a word
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — music
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. can — a tin
  19. cue — a signal
  20. court — of a king
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bore — to drill
  23. court — of law
  24. root — of a plant

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