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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: ball · bay · row · bat · bass · ruler · root · pitch

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bat — the animal
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bass — low music
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. root — the cause
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. row — a line

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