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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. file — a line of people
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. root — of a plant
  6. staff — employees
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. root — the cause
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. file — a tool
  12. toast — bread
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bark — to shout
  17. band — a ring
  18. staff — a stick
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. file — a document
  22. root — of a word
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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