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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 120 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: hand · court · root · pitch · ground · net · mark · pit

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. pit — a hole
  3. hand — help
  4. net — after costs
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mark — a grade
  7. court — of law
  8. root — the cause
  9. pitch — completely
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. root — of a word
  12. net — for catching
  13. ground — a position
  14. pit — in a race
  15. court — for sport
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. net — in sport
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. root — of a plant
  20. court — of a king
  21. ground — crushed
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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