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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. staff — employees
  5. snap — to click
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. content — happy
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. staff — employees
  10. spell — letters
  11. root — of a word
  12. staff — a stick
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stock — goods
  20. spell — magic
  21. root — the cause
  22. board — to get on
  23. stock — shares
  24. spell — a short time

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