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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 · ball · temple · root · lean · cold · racket · coach

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. ball — a great time
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ball — a dance
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lean — to bend
  7. root — of a word
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. lean — thin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. root — of a plant
  14. cold — not warm
  15. root — the cause
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pitch — completely
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cold — an illness
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ball — a round shape
  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