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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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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 · mark · bay · temple · root · pitch · court · lash

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. court — for sport
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. court — of law
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bat — the animal
  12. root — of a word
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. court — of a king
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mark — a trace
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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