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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
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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: court · hand · bowl · sharp · saw · root · bass · bay

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. root — of a plant
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. sharp — clever
  7. court — for sport
  8. root — of a word
  9. court — of a king
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. root — the cause
  15. bass — low music
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. court — of law
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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