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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. charge — a price
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chip — for betting
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. root — of a plant
  11. charge — in control
  12. band — a music group
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. root — the cause
  17. last — finally
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. band — a ring
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. charge — electricity
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chip — to eat

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