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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: date · deal · firm · root · face · pitch · rock · coach

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. root — of a word
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. face — to confront
  6. rock — music
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. pitch — completely
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. root — of a plant
  14. firm — decided
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rock — a stone
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. firm — steady
  24. root — the cause

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