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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. row — a line
  4. root — of a plant
  5. ground — crushed
  6. row — to paddle
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stock — goods
  10. root — of a word
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stock — shares
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. root — the cause
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. snap — to click
  19. ground — a position
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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