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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 116 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. root — of a word
  11. fine — all right
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. fall — the season
  14. root — the cause
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. deal — to handle
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pop — music
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. staff — employees
  23. bat — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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