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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cue — a signal
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cell — in biology
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. snap — to click
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rash — hasty
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. root — of a word
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ground — a position
  20. row — a line
  21. root — the cause
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ground — crushed
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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