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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stock — shares
  4. root — of a word
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. kid — child
  7. scale — size or range
  8. root — the cause
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. scale — in music
  11. stock — goods
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rash — a series
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. root — of a plant
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitch — completely
  21. kid — to tease
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pound — a weight
  24. stock — a soup base

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