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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. deal — to handle
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bat — the animal
  6. root — the cause
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. can — a tin
  10. fine — all right
  11. pitch — completely
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. root — of a word
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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