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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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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: press · racket · hand · club · root · bowl · cue · court

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. root — of a word
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. press — a publisher
  5. court — for sport
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. root — of a plant
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cue — a signal
  13. press — to push
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. root — the cause
  16. club — a group
  17. cue — a hint
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. hand — help
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. club — for golf
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. club — for dancing
  24. press — newspapers

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