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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. root — the cause
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. net — for catching
  5. mark — a trace
  6. net — after costs
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mark — a grade
  9. net — in sport
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. root — of a word
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. root — of a plant
  18. cell — a phone
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. branch — a division
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. scale — in music
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bowl — to roll

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