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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. root — of a word
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a hat
  18. root — the cause
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cap — a lid
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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