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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. staff — employees
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. root — the cause
  4. last — to go on
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stock — shares
  9. last — final
  10. stock — goods
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pitch — completely
  17. last — finally
  18. staff — a stick
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. saw — the tool
  23. staff — employees
  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