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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · ground · file · root · court · pitch · drill · squash

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitch — completely
  6. date — the fruit
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. ground — a position
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. court — for sport
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. root — of a word
  15. file — a line of people
  16. squash — the sport
  17. file — a tool
  18. squash — to crush
  19. ground — the earth
  20. court — of law
  21. root — the cause
  22. court — of a king
  23. file — a document
  24. ground — crushed

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