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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: press · pitch · face · root · saw · row · last · swing

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. face — to confront
  3. saw — the tool
  4. swing — in golf
  5. root — of a word
  6. last — finally
  7. swing — to play on
  8. last — to go on
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. root — the cause
  12. press — a publisher
  13. row — a line
  14. press — newspapers
  15. swing — music
  16. last — final
  17. saw — the tool
  18. press — to push
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. face — to point toward
  23. root — of a plant
  24. face — part of the head

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