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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: root · pop · ball · rash · pitcher · sharp · hand · rock

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rash — hasty
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rock — music
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pop — music
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rash — a series
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rock — a stone
  19. hand — help
  20. pop — soda
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. hand — in cards
  24. root — the cause

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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