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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wind — moving air
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. present — a gift
  7. staff — employees
  8. spell — letters
  9. staff — employees
  10. root — of a plant
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wind — moving air
  14. staff — a stick
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. spell — magic
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. present — the time now
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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