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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: game · season · court · root · kid · foot · straw · leaves

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. season — of the year
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. court — of law
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. root — the cause
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. game — a match
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. kid — child
  14. court — for sport
  15. root — of a plant
  16. court — of a king
  17. foot — a measure
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. kid — to tease
  23. root — of a word
  24. game — wild animals

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