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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: game · kid · stock · root · rock · foot · jam · pitcher

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. foot — a measure
  3. kid — to tease
  4. root — of a plant
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. root — of a word
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. kid — child
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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