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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: bat · shower · court · pitch · root · wake · stand · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. shower — rain
  3. root — of a word
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wake — a trail
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. court — of a king
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. root — the cause
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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