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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cold — an illness
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. root — of a word
  7. bound — certain
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bound — tied together
  10. capital — money
  11. bound — obliged
  12. root — the cause
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. present — a gift
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. present — there
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. capital — a city
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. game — a match
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cold — not warm
  24. game — wild animals

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