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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. root — of a word
  3. fine — all right
  4. roll — a cake
  5. root — of a plant
  6. roll — a list
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. root — the cause
  9. file — a document
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fine — high quality
  12. spell — letters
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pass — a permit
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bark — to shout
  17. file — a tool
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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