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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mark — a trace
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pitch — completely
  6. band — a music group
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. clip — a video
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. band — a ring
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. root — of a word
  13. clip — for paper
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. stock — shares
  18. clip — to cut
  19. root — the cause
  20. stock — goods
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mark — a grade
  24. root — of a plant

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