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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. last — to go on
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. root — of a plant
  11. can — a tin
  12. root — the cause
  13. file — a tool
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. spell — magic
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. can — a tin
  20. file — a document
  21. foot — a measure
  22. can — to be able to
  23. file — a line of people
  24. spell — letters

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