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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. root — the cause
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cue — a hint
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. net — in sport
  14. scale — in music
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. toast — bread
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fine — all right
  20. cue — a signal
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. net — after costs
  23. fine — high quality
  24. root — of a word

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