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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: cabinet · racket · root · foot · fork · squash · mug · chair

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. squash — the sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. root — of a word
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. root — of a plant
  13. mug — a face
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. root — the cause
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. squash — to crush
  20. foot — a measure
  21. chair — a leader
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. foot — part of the body

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