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

Word bank: last · clip · pitch · deal · root · rush · rule · stand

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rule — a law
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. root — of a word
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. last — to go on
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. clip — a video
  14. rush — hurry
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. stand — to bear
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rule — government
  21. last — final
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. stand — for spectators

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