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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 120 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: staff · pitcher · root · rush · racket · fork · kid · cue

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. staff — employees
  12. kid — to tease
  13. root — of a word
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cue — a signal
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. staff — employees
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. staff — a stick
  23. root — the cause
  24. racket — for tennis

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