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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 120 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. club — for dancing
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stock — shares
  9. pound — a weight
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cold — not warm
  12. root — of a word
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for golf
  24. cold — an illness

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