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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bat — the animal
  6. lean — to bend
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. root — of a plant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. saw — the tool
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stock — goods
  17. root — the cause
  18. lean — thin
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. racket — for tennis
  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