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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 120 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: bat · court · pit · root · rock · object · kick · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. object — an aim
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pit — in a race
  7. object — to protest
  8. face — to confront
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. rock — music
  12. kick — in football
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. object — a thing
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. court — of a king
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. root — the cause
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. root — of a word
  21. pit — a hole
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rock — a stone

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