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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. net — in sport
  3. mine — for digging
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. net — after costs
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. net — for catching
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. root — the cause
  17. can — to be able to
  18. root — of a word
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. can — a tin
  22. bark — to shout
  23. can — a tin
  24. root — of a plant

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