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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · fan · lie · root · bulb · perch · pitch · court

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. root — of a word
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lie — to recline
  9. court — of a king
  10. root — the cause
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. court — for sport
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. court — of law
  15. pitch — completely
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chair — a leader
  19. perch — the fish
  20. root — of a plant
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitch — a sports field

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