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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wake — a trail
  5. root — of a plant
  6. last — final
  7. wind — moving air
  8. root — of a word
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. root — the cause
  14. wind — moving air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. last — finally
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stand — to bear
  22. last — to go on
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. stand — for spectators

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