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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fine — high quality
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. object — an aim
  5. spell — letters
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. squash — to crush
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fine — all right
  11. object — to protest
  12. kid — child
  13. root — of a plant
  14. object — a thing
  15. squash — the sport
  16. spell — a short time
  17. root — the cause
  18. spell — magic

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