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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. root — the cause
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bat — the animal
  10. root — of a plant
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. kid — child
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. kid — to tease

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