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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: row · swing · root · pitch · mate · lash · track · face

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. track — a song
  3. mate — a partner
  4. root — the cause
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. swing — music
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pitch — completely
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. row — to paddle
  12. root — of a word
  13. row — a line
  14. track — a path
  15. face — to confront
  16. mate — a friend
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. face — to point toward
  21. root — of a plant
  22. track — to keep track
  23. face — part of the head
  24. swing — in golf

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