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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pound — a weight
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. last — final
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. march — the month
  12. game — wild animals
  13. root — the cause
  14. march — the month
  15. last — to go on
  16. game — a match
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. net — in sport
  19. root — of a word
  20. last — finally
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. march — music
  24. swing — to play on

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