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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mate — a partner
  4. land — to come down
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. mate — a friend
  7. root — the cause
  8. bore — to drill
  9. board — to get on
  10. land — ground
  11. board — a committee
  12. stock — shares
  13. root — of a plant
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. land — a country
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. saw — the tool
  21. dip — to sink
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bore — to tire
  24. stock — goods

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