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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: fine · pitch · root · last · cap · bat · spell · rule

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fine — all right
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. root — the cause
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fine — high quality
  8. root — of a plant
  9. last — final
  10. bat — the animal
  11. root — of a word
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pitch — completely
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. rule — government
  17. spell — magic
  18. last — to go on
  19. spell — a short time
  20. last — finally
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cap — a hat

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