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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kick — in football
  3. mug — a cup
  4. rock — music
  5. mug — to rob
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mug — a face
  13. root — the cause
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bat — the animal
  17. root — of a word
  18. rock — to move gently

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