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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. root — the cause
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cue — a hint
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stock — goods
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. band — a music group
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cue — for pool
  21. root — of a word
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. root — of a plant
  24. stock — shares

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