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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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Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. game — a match
  2. can — a tin
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. root — of a word
  5. game — wild animals
  6. spring — of water
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. tube — the underground
  13. file — a document
  14. spring — the season
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pass — a permit
  18. file — a tool
  19. tube — a container
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. root — of a plant
  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