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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. charge — in control
  3. net — for catching
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. band — a music group
  6. tube — a container
  7. root — the cause
  8. charge — a price
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. row — a line
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. band — a ring
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. root — of a plant
  24. row — to paddle

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