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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · ground · court · suit · mark · row · fork · root

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. root — of a word
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. ground — the earth
  5. court — of a king
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. court — of law
  8. ground — crushed
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. root — of a plant
  11. court — for sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mark — a trace
  18. row — a line
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. mark — a grade
  23. ground — a position
  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