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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. march — the month
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rash — hasty
  6. last — to go on
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. stock — shares
  13. root — of a word
  14. season — of the year
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. root — the cause
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. last — final
  20. rash — a series
  21. pound — a weight
  22. season — in sport
  23. last — finally
  24. stock — goods

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