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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: pit · bat · saw · root · deal · hand · ruler · wind

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pit — a hole
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — the cause
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. deal — to handle
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wind — moving air
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wind — moving air
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bat — the animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. pit — in a race

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