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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. swing — music
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bass — low music
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rest — a break
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bass — the fish
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rest — what's left
  22. root — the cause
  23. pit — in a race
  24. saw — the tool

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