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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. mate — a friend
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pop — music
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pit — a hole
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stock — goods
  10. pit — in a race
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mate — to breed
  13. plane — a tool
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. root — of a word
  19. pop — soda
  20. deal — to handle
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stock — shares
  23. chair — a professorship
  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