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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: pitch · can · root · cell · last · net · key · bowl

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. net — for catching
  5. cell — in biology
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. root — of a word
  12. net — after costs
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. last — to go on
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. can — a tin
  20. last — final
  21. cell — a phone
  22. root — the cause
  23. net — in sport
  24. can — a tin

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