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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. can — to be able to
  4. root — the cause
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. can — a tin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hand — in cards
  21. roll — a cake
  22. hand — help
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pitch — completely

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