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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 opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. can — a tin
  6. stock — shares
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. drill — a practice
  9. root — of a plant
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. stock — goods
  12. can — to be able to
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bass — low music
  15. root — the cause
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bass — the fish
  19. toast — bread
  20. game — wild animals
  21. root — of a word
  22. drill — the tool
  23. game — a match
  24. drill — army training

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