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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · root · present · bound · mark · bat · bowl · file

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. file — a line of people
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. root — of a plant
  7. present — a gift
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bat — the animal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. root — the cause
  15. bound — certain
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. file — a tool
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. present — the time now
  21. file — a document
  22. root — of a word
  23. bound — tied together
  24. date — the fruit

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