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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. bat — the animal
  4. vault — a safe
  5. board — a committee
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. charge — electricity
  8. stock — goods
  9. charge — a price
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. file — a document
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. root — of a plant
  23. charge — in control
  24. board — to get on

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