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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. root — of a word
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pound — a weight
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pitch — completely
  9. content — the amount
  10. court — of a king
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. band — a ring
  16. court — of law
  17. root — of a plant
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. court — for sport
  22. swing — to play on
  23. content — happy
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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