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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. root — the cause
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. last — to go on
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. pop — to visit
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cell — in biology
  12. last — final
  13. pop — music
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pop — soda
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. root — of a word
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. root — of a plant
  23. last — finally
  24. cell — in a prison

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