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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. present — the time now
  6. root — of a word
  7. deal — to handle
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — ground
  12. net — for catching
  13. land — a country
  14. root — of a plant
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bat — the animal
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. root — the cause
  19. land — to come down
  20. present — there
  21. net — after costs
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. temple — a place of worship

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