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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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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: land · suit · pitch · last · root · kick · tear · leaves

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. last — finally
  3. suit — to fit
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. root — the cause
  7. pitch — completely
  8. last — final
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. root — of a plant
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. land — a country
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. suit — clothes
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — to go on
  19. root — of a word
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. suit — in cards
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. kick — in football

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