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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: object · date · fan · deal · court · kid · root · jam

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. court — of law
  5. object — an aim
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. root — of a word
  10. kid — to tease
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. root — the cause
  13. object — to protest
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. kid — child
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. object — a thing
  21. court — for sport
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. court — of a king
  24. date — the fruit

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