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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. root — the cause
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. face — to confront
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. face — part of the head
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stock — goods
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stem — to come from
  22. game — a match
  23. root — of a plant
  24. racket — a loud noise

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