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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: root · roll · track · kick · last · pitch · jam · chest

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. last — final
  5. track — to keep track
  6. root — of a word
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. roll — a cake
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. chest — a box
  13. root — the cause
  14. chest — of your body
  15. root — of a plant
  16. chest — of your body
  17. last — finally
  18. roll — a list
  19. track — a song
  20. last — to go on
  21. track — a path
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. kick — with a leg

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