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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. root — of a word
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fine — all right
  6. root — the cause
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitch — completely
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tear — to rip
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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