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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · suit · drill · bass · capital · land · root · kick

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. suit — in cards
  5. drill — army training
  6. root — of a word
  7. suit — to fit
  8. land — a country
  9. bass — the fish
  10. capital — money
  11. root — the cause
  12. capital — a city
  13. drill — the tool
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. suit — clothes
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. drill — a practice
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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