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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. last — final
  3. root — the cause
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bark — to shout
  10. last — to go on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stock — goods
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. stock — shares
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. root — of a word
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. last — finally
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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