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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: face · date · hand · stock · march · court · pit · root

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. root — of a word
  3. stock — goods
  4. hand — help
  5. face — to point toward
  6. court — of a king
  7. date — the fruit
  8. march — music
  9. face — to confront
  10. stock — shares
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. march — the month
  15. root — of a plant
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pit — in a race
  19. court — for sport
  20. march — the month
  21. root — the cause
  22. court — of law
  23. pit — a hole
  24. face — part of the head

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