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

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. last — final
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. row — a line
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. last — to go on
  7. root — the cause
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bank — for money
  10. drill — a practice
  11. last — finally
  12. bank — of a river
  13. mug — a face
  14. root — of a plant
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. drill — the tool
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bank — for money
  21. root — of a word
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. drill — army training

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