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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: root · wound · hand · lie · pop · court · board · pitch

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. board — a committee
  4. root — of a plant
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pitch — completely
  7. root — of a word
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. court — of a king
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wound — an injury
  15. court — of law
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. root — the cause
  18. board — to get on
  19. court — for sport
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hand — help
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. hand — in cards

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