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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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468
Word bank
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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pitch — completely
  3. land — to come down
  4. root — of a word
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. root — the cause
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. drill — army training
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. land — a country
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. root — of a plant
  21. land — ground
  22. rock — a stone
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rock — music

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