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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: root · pop · file · drill · squash · pitcher · deal · bat

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bat — the animal
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pop — music
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. drill — army training
  7. squash — to crush
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. deal — to handle
  13. file — a document
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pop — to visit
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. root — the cause
  19. pop — soda
  20. root — of a plant
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. root — of a word
  24. bat — in an idiom

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