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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. last — finally
  3. stock — goods
  4. root — the cause
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. root — of a plant
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. kick — in football
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. root — of a word
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stock — shares
  19. deal — to handle
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. last — final
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. last — to go on

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