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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cap — a hat
  4. present — there
  5. root — of a word
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stock — goods
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. present — the time now
  10. scale — in music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. land — a country
  13. present — a gift
  14. root — the cause
  15. scale — size or range
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. stock — shares
  19. land — to come down
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. land — ground
  22. cap — of ice
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. root — of a plant

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