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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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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: root · kid · date · firm · pit · file · drill · bowl

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. file — a document
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. root — the cause
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. root — of a plant
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pit — in a race
  14. file — a tool
  15. firm — a company
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. firm — steady
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. root — of a word
  21. firm — decided
  22. pit — a hole
  23. drill — the tool
  24. date — the fruit

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