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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. last — to go on
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. last — final
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. game — wild animals
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. mine — for digging
  12. game — a match
  13. land — a country
  14. rock — music
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. land — to come down
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. last — finally
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rock — a stone
  24. land — ground

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