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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rest — a break
  3. pitch — completely
  4. season — in sport
  5. stock — shares
  6. root — the cause
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. season — of the year
  9. hand — help
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. root — of a plant
  21. stock — goods
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rest — what's left

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