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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.

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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: pitcher · racket · court · root · bore · file · kick · row

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. court — of a king
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. root — of a word
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. row — to paddle
  8. kick — in football
  9. root — of a plant
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bore — to tire
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. root — the cause
  14. file — a document
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. court — of law
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bore — to drill
  19. court — for sport
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. row — a line
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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