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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. stock — goods
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. root — of a word
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. spell — magic
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fine — all right
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fine — high quality
  12. degree — temperature
  13. swing — in golf
  14. spell — a short time
  15. degree — from a university
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spell — letters
  24. root — the cause

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