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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cap — of ice
  4. root — of a word
  5. track — a path
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stock — shares
  8. hand — in cards
  9. can — a tin
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. can — a tin
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. track — to keep track
  18. root — of a plant
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. track — a song
  21. pass — a permit
  22. hand — help
  23. root — the cause
  24. stock — goods

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