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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pop — soda
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — of a word
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pop — music
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pop — to visit
  15. root — the cause
  16. bound — certain
  17. stock — shares
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stock — goods
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pit — a hole
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pit — in a race

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