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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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 — a sales talk
  2. root — of a plant
  3. drill — a practice
  4. root — of a word
  5. march — the month
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. drill — the tool
  15. root — the cause
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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