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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: court · root · rush · kick · face · track · pitch · tear

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. face — to confront
  3. tear — from crying
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. pitch — completely
  11. face — part of the head
  12. track — a song
  13. court — of a king
  14. root — of a plant
  15. tear — to rip
  16. court — for sport
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. rush — a thrill

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