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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a plant
  5. last — final
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. net — in sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. ball — a great time
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. net — for catching
  13. last — to go on
  14. root — of a word
  15. file — a tool
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. file — a document
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. branch — a division
  20. ball — a dance
  21. net — after costs
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. last — finally
  24. file — a line of people

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