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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bore — to drill
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. content — happy
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. root — of a plant
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. kick — in football
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bore — to tire
  19. content — the amount
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cold — not warm
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. root — of a word
  24. wake — a trail

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