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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: root · scale · ball · kid · bore · pitcher · foot · snap

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bore — to drill
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. root — of a word
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. scale — size or range
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bore — to tire
  16. foot — a measure
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. snap — to click
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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