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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cold — an illness
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. root — of a plant
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. net — for catching
  8. foot — a measure
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mate — to breed
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mate — a friend
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cold — not warm

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