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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: snap · root · prune · rest · bat · chip · pitch · deal

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rest — what's left
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bat — the animal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. root — the cause
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chip — to eat
  20. snap — to click
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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