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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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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: rush · chest · content · root · suit · can · row · pitch

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. root — of a word
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. can — a tin
  7. row — a line
  8. suit — clothes
  9. can — to be able to
  10. rush — hurry
  11. root — the cause
  12. content — happy
  13. chest — of your body
  14. suit — to fit
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. row — to paddle
  20. content — the amount
  21. can — a tin
  22. pitch — completely
  23. suit — in cards
  24. chest — a box

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