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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: court · can · hand · pop · root · fan · staff · kid

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. court — for sport
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. kid — to tease
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — of a plant
  10. court — of law
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pop — to visit
  13. court — of a king
  14. pop — soda
  15. staff — employees
  16. pop — music
  17. staff — employees
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. can — to be able to
  20. staff — a stick
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. kid — child
  24. root — the cause

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