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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: pitcher · cold · season · root · pound · kick · mark · bowl

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. root — of a word
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. root — the cause
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. season — in sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cold — an illness
  14. season — of the year
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cold — not warm
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. kick — in football

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