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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 116 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. staff — employees
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. root — the cause
  8. kick — in football
  9. march — music
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. root — of a plant
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fine — all right
  17. march — the month
  18. staff — employees
  19. march — the month
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. kick — with a leg

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