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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.

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: chip · root · pass · drill · pitcher · rush · cell · land

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. land — ground
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cell — in biology
  7. root — of a word
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. land — a country
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rush — hurry
  12. drill — army training
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. root — the cause
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. chip — for betting
  21. land — to come down
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cell — a phone
  24. drill — a practice

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