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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stand — to bear
  3. root — of a word
  4. wind — moving air
  5. net — for catching
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. net — after costs
  9. present — there
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rest — a break
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. root — the cause
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pop — to visit
  16. present — a gift
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. present — the time now
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — in sport
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wind — to turn a key

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