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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 · lash · pitch · fan · fall · kid · wave · root

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fall — the season
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. court — of a king
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. root — the cause
  7. kid — to tease
  8. court — of law
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. root — of a word
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. kid — child
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. court — for sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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