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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. root — the cause
  4. spring — the season
  5. squash — to crush
  6. clip — for paper
  7. root — of a word
  8. staff — a stick
  9. band — a ring
  10. dip — to sink
  11. squash — the sport
  12. staff — employees
  13. spring — of water
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pitch — completely
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. clip — a video
  19. band — a music group
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. staff — employees
  22. spring — a coil
  23. clip — to cut
  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