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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. spring — the season
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bore — to drill
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fine — all right
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. spring — of water
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitcher — a jug

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