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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 · press · bowl · rock · bore · pitch · snap · bat

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bore — to tire
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pitch — completely
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bore — to drill
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rock — music
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. root — the cause
  23. press — to push
  24. snap — to click

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