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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 116 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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. last — finally
  3. root — of a word
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. tear — from crying
  8. root — the cause
  9. last — final
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tear — to rip
  20. last — to go on
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bore — to tire
  24. calf — of the leg

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