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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. root — of a word
  3. hand — help
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. root — the cause
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. club — for golf
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — a price
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. foot — a measure
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. charge — in control
  16. stock — goods
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. root — of a plant
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. club — a group
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. stock — shares

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