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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. mate — a friend
  3. root — of a word
  4. stock — shares
  5. root — of a plant
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. band — a ring
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mate — to breed
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pitch — completely
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. band — a music group
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bound — certain
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitch — a sports field

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