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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: root · pit · pitcher · clip · foot · temple · field · bay

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. clip — a video
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. root — the cause
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. clip — for paper
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. field — a subject
  13. foot — a measure
  14. clip — to cut
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. root — of a plant
  19. field — for sport
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. root — of a word
  22. field — farmland
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pit — in a race

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