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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 116 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: chair · rush · kid · root · trunk · march · pitch · scale

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. root — of a word
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. kid — child
  5. rush — hurry
  6. march — the month
  7. scale — in music
  8. chair — a leader
  9. root — of a plant
  10. march — music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. scale — size or range
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. kid — to tease
  22. march — the month
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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