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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 116 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: pitch · drill · track · tear · bowl · staff · bay · root

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. drill — army training
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. tear — to rip
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. root — of a word
  8. pitch — completely
  9. staff — employees
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. track — a song
  21. tear — from crying
  22. root — the cause
  23. drill — the tool
  24. track — a path

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