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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. 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. root — of a word
  2. tube — the underground
  3. present — a gift
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. present — the time now
  6. tube — a container
  7. present — there
  8. march — music
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. root — of a plant
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. march — the month
  15. deal — to handle
  16. march — the month
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. 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