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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: foot · ground · pit · season · pop · court · can · root

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ground — crushed
  3. court — of law
  4. can — to be able to
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pop — soda
  10. root — of a plant
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. root — the cause
  15. season — of the year
  16. court — for sport
  17. season — in sport
  18. ground — a position
  19. can — a tin
  20. pit — a hole
  21. root — of a word
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pop — music
  24. court — of a king

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