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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. drill — army training
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. can — a tin
  6. perch — the fish
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bass — low music
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. can — a tin
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. root — the cause
  19. bass — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. kid — child
  22. can — to be able to
  23. kid — to tease
  24. net — in sport

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