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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: squash · pitch · cold · wound · land · pass · root · pitcher

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. root — of a word
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cold — an illness
  8. land — a country
  9. root — the cause
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pass — a permit
  18. land — ground
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. land — to come down
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pitch — a sports field

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