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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: court · track · capital · calf · object · wave · root · snap

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. root — the cause
  3. snap — to click
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. object — to protest
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. track — a song
  11. object — a thing
  12. track — to keep track
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. object — an aim
  19. capital — money
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. track — a path
  22. capital — a city
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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