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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. last — to go on
  5. root — of a word
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. kick — in football
  11. mate — a friend
  12. club — a group
  13. stock — goods
  14. squash — the sport
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stock — shares
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. kick — a thrill

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