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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: pitch · swing · perch · nail · root · court · pitcher · face

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — for sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. court — of a king
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. face — to confront
  10. swing — music
  11. root — of a plant
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. court — of law
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a word
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pitch — completely

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