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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: court · ruler · root · stick · season · pitcher · bear · mark

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. root — of a plant
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. court — for sport
  5. root — of a word
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. root — the cause
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. season — of the year
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. court — of law
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bear — the animal
  16. season — in sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ruler — a monarch

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