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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · court · spring · pitch · bore · bowl · root · temple

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. pitch — completely
  7. court — for sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — to tire
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. spring — of water
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. spring — a coil
  24. root — of a word

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