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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: cabinet · last · bore · club · root · rush · present · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. club — for golf
  3. present — there
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rush — hurry
  6. club — a group
  7. last — final
  8. root — the cause
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. present — the time now
  11. club — for dancing
  12. root — of a word
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. present — a gift
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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