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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. root — of a plant
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. march — the month
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. board — to get on
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. clip — to cut
  15. march — music
  16. stock — goods
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stock — shares
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. march — the month
  24. board — a committee

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