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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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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: drill · calf · row · cold · file · pitch · mate · root

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cold — not warm
  4. root — the cause
  5. file — a document
  6. drill — a practice
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. file — a tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — the tool
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. row — a line
  19. root — of a plant
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. mate — to breed
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. root — of a word

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