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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: pitch · row · root · rule · chest · field · file · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. field — for sport
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rule — government
  5. row — a line
  6. field — a subject
  7. file — a tool
  8. chest — a box
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. chest — of your body
  11. root — of a word
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rule — a law
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. file — a line of people
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. file — a document
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. field — farmland
  21. root — the cause
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. chest — of your body
  24. root — of a plant

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