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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · leaves · root · shower · bass · drill · face · racket

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. root — the cause
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. face — part of the head
  6. root — of a word
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. face — to point toward
  9. shower — rain
  10. drill — army training
  11. face — to confront
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bass — the fish
  17. root — of a plant
  18. shower — to wash
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bass — low music
  21. pitch — completely
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. racket — for tennis

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