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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: pitch · mark · bound · capital · bear · hand · root · court

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bound — certain
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. root — of a word
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. court — of law
  9. bear — the animal
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. court — of a king
  15. bound — obliged
  16. capital — money
  17. hand — help
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. capital — a city
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pitch — completely
  22. root — the cause
  23. mark — a trace
  24. court — for sport

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