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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 116 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: root · court · pitcher · spring · kid · swing · calf · stand

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. root — of a plant
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. kid — child
  9. court — of law
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. court — for sport
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. spring — of water
  15. court — of a king
  16. swing — to play on
  17. stand — to bear
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. swing — in golf
  23. kid — to tease
  24. spring — the season

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