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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. 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. pitch — a sports field
  2. drill — army training
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. shower — rain
  6. drill — the tool
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. rule — a law
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. rule — government
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. shower — to wash
  18. 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