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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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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: pitch · temple · swing · ground · spring · root · safe · rock

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. spring — of water
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. ground — a position
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitch — completely
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. swing — music
  17. ground — crushed
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. root — the cause
  20. spring — the season
  21. rock — music
  22. root — of a word
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ground — the earth

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