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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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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 · race · kick · plane · pitch · season · arm · root

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. season — of the year
  2. root — of a plant
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. race — the arms race
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. season — in sport
  12. race — humankind
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. court — for sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. plane — a tool
  17. court — of law
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. root — of a word
  22. court — of a king
  23. race — a contest
  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