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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: roll · mine · court · racket · straw · root · pitch · coach

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. root — the cause
  4. roll — a list
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. root — of a word
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. court — of law
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. root — of a plant
  13. roll — a cake
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. court — of a king
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. court — for sport
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mine — for digging

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