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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rash — a series
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. root — of a word
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wake — a trail
  14. snap — to click
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. date — the fruit
  19. stock — goods
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. chest — of your body
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stock — shares

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