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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · deal · tear · pitcher · hand · row · court · root

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. court — of law
  6. tear — from crying
  7. root — of a word
  8. hand — in cards
  9. firm — a company
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. firm — decided
  18. tear — to rip
  19. root — of a plant
  20. hand — help
  21. root — the cause
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. firm — steady
  24. row — a quarrel

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