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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 116 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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. ground — a position
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. last — final
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — in control
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. root — the cause
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. march — the month
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stock — goods
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stock — shares
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. last — finally
  19. march — music
  20. last — to go on
  21. march — the month
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. charge — a price
  24. bore — to drill

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