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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. root — of a word
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — a company
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. firm — steady
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. snap — to click
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. root — the cause
  21. game — a match
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. root — of a plant
  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