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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. root — the cause
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. land — a country
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bear — the animal
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. land — ground
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. land — to come down
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. root — of a plant

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