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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. staff — a stick
  6. deal — to handle
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. root — of a plant
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. staff — employees
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. net — in sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. sharp — clever
  19. net — after costs
  20. bear — the animal
  21. net — for catching
  22. root — the cause
  23. fine — all right
  24. bear — the animal

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