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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: temple · court · tear · pitch · bark · root · fine · toast

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. root — the cause
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. court — of a king
  10. bark — to shout
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitch — completely
  13. toast — bread
  14. court — for sport
  15. root — of a word
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. root — of a plant
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fine — all right
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. temple — side of the head

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