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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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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. root — of a word
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. spell — a short time
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pitch — completely
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. spell — letters
  12. root — the cause
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. drill — army training
  18. bass — low music
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. spell — magic
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. root — of a plant

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