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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: bat · hand · spell · hide · saw · last · root · pitch

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. spell — a short time
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitch — completely
  5. root — of a word
  6. bat — the animal
  7. last — final
  8. spell — magic
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. hand — help
  19. root — of a plant
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. spell — letters
  24. hide — to keep secret

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