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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 · pop · rush · drill · net · track · chip · bat

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. track — a song
  3. pop — to visit
  4. net — for catching
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rush — hurry
  7. chip — for betting
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pop — music
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. track — a path
  16. root — the cause
  17. bat — the animal
  18. net — in sport
  19. pop — soda
  20. drill — army training
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. track — to keep track
  24. drill — the tool

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