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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. spring — the season
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stock — goods
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. firm — steady
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stock — shares
  12. root — of a word
  13. mine — for digging
  14. firm — a company
  15. spring — of water
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pass — a permit
  22. firm — decided
  23. spring — a coil
  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