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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 116 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: wave · rest · net · court · cue · root · racket · pitcher

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. court — of law
  3. net — after costs
  4. root — of a plant
  5. net — for catching
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rest — what's left
  10. court — for sport
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. net — in sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. rest — a break
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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