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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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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. bark — to shout
  3. face — to confront
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stock — goods
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. root — of a plant
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. root — of a word
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bore — to drill
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bark — of a tree
  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