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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 · hide · present · march · fan · ruler · root · chest

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. root — the cause
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. march — the month
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. present — a gift
  15. chest — a box
  16. root — of a plant
  17. chest — of your body
  18. march — music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. present — there
  21. pitch — completely
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. present — the time now
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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