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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. root — of a word
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rock — music
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. mark — a trace
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. last — final
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. last — to go on
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. rock — a stone
  19. last — finally
  20. foot — a measure
  21. root — the cause
  22. can — a tin
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wind — moving air

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