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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. net — after costs
  3. cue — for pool
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. net — for catching
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — to breed
  10. net — in sport
  11. root — the cause
  12. cue — a hint
  13. track — a path
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. root — of a plant
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. track — a song
  23. root — of a word
  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