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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 116 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. root — of a word
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. root — the cause
  6. key — for a lock
  7. land — ground
  8. key — the most important part
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. rule — a law
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bark — to shout
  15. land — to come down
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rule — government
  21. land — a country
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pound — for dogs

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