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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: chest · bore · root · pitch · march · ruler · rest · bass

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rest — a break
  9. root — of a plant
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chest — of your body
  12. root — of a word
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. chest — a box
  15. rest — what's left
  16. march — music
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. march — the month
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rest — what's left
  21. root — the cause
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bore — to tire
  24. march — the month

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