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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 120 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: object · field · root · pitch · court · track · spell · capital

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. track — to keep track
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. track — a path
  7. object — to protest
  8. track — a song
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. object — a thing
  11. spell — a short time
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. object — an aim
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. spell — magic
  21. root — of a word
  22. capital — money
  23. pitch — completely
  24. capital — a city

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