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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. bass — low music
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bass — the fish
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to confront
  13. bark — to shout
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. date — the fruit
  18. rule — government
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. rule — a law
  22. face — to point toward
  23. root — the cause
  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