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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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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: pitch · file · root · rock · drill · leaves · cold · key

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cold — not warm
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. file — a tool
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pitch — completely
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. key — for a lock
  12. root — the cause
  13. rock — music
  14. file — a document
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. key — in music
  20. cold — an illness
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. rock — a stone
  24. root — of a word

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