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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 116 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: pitch · wind · vault · root · court · chair

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chair — a leader
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wind — moving air
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. court — of law
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. root — the cause
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of a king

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