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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: rest · root · cap · cold · track · net · court · bulb

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rest — a break
  3. root — of a plant
  4. court — of law
  5. bulb — for light
  6. root — of a word
  7. track — a path
  8. root — the cause
  9. rest — what's left
  10. court — of a king
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rest — what's left
  16. net — for catching
  17. cap — a lid
  18. track — a song
  19. court — for sport
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bulb — for light
  22. net — in sport
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cap — a hat

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