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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rest — a break
  3. cap — of ice
  4. present — the time now
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — of a word
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. cap — a hat
  10. spell — letters
  11. root — the cause
  12. band — a ring
  13. game — a match
  14. mug — to rob
  15. band — a music group
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spell — magic
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mug — a face
  22. rest — what's left
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spell — a short time

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