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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pit — a hole
  3. root — of a word
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. root — the cause
  9. swing — to play on
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. swing — music
  14. squash — to crush
  15. swing — in golf
  16. hand — help
  17. pit — in a race
  18. hand — in cards

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