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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. root — the cause
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. march — the month
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. root — of a plant
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rash — hasty
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. root — of a word
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. tube — a container
  19. march — music
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. march — the month
  23. rash — a series
  24. bat — in an idiom

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