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

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. roll — a list
  4. can — to be able to
  5. root — the cause
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. net — for catching
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rest — a break
  12. can — a tin
  13. mine — for digging
  14. march — the month
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. root — of a plant
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. shower — to wash
  21. roll — a cake
  22. can — a tin
  23. shower — rain
  24. rest — what's left

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