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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: deal · trunk · pit · bat · pitcher · ruler · pitch · root

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pit — a hole
  10. root — of a word
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. root — the cause
  22. pitch — completely
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. root — of a plant

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