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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: suit · straw · pitch · root · fork · net · cap · court

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. net — for catching
  2. suit — in cards
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fork — in a road
  5. net — after costs
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cap — of ice
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. net — in sport
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. cap — a lid
  14. root — of a word
  15. pitch — completely
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. suit — clothes
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. suit — to fit
  23. root — the cause
  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