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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: racket · stock · root · game · foot · shower · fall · sharp

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stock — goods
  5. root — of a plant
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. fall — the season
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. game — wild animals
  10. root — the cause
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fall — to drop
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stock — shares
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. game — a match
  19. shower — rain
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. root — of a word
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. foot — a measure
  24. fall — to drop

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