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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. net — in sport
  3. root — the cause
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. root — of a word
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mate — a friend
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. file — a tool
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mug — a face
  19. net — after costs
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. file — a document
  22. net — for catching
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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