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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: capital · kid · wind · mouse · court · pitch · root · stand

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. court — of law
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. root — of a word
  5. kid — to tease
  6. court — for sport
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wind — moving air
  10. capital — a city
  11. root — the cause
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. capital — money
  15. court — of a king
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. stand — to bear
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitch — completely
  24. kid — child

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