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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. root — of a word
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. stock — shares
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. kid — to tease
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. stock — goods
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. staff — employees
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. net — for catching
  19. kid — child
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. staff — a stick
  23. tube — the underground
  24. staff — employees

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