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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. root — of a plant
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. capital — money
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — a city
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. cold — not warm
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bank — for money
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bank — for money
  17. root — of a word
  18. stock — goods
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. land — a country
  21. stock — shares
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bowl — a dish

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