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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · saw · clip · rock · pitch · racket · rash · face

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. clip — for paper
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. rock — music
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. saw — the tool
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. root — the cause
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. face — to confront
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rock — a stone
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. face — to point toward
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rash — a series
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rash — hasty
  22. clip — a video
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. face — part of the head

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