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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: rash · root · pitcher · cap · spring · swing · kick · pit

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cap — a hat
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cap — of ice
  7. spring — of water
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kick — in football
  10. root — of a plant
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. spring — the season
  13. swing — music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. swing — in golf
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cap — a lid
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rash — hasty
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. rash — a series
  23. pit — a hole
  24. rash — on the skin

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