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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. press — to push
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. root — of a word
  5. drill — a practice
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. hand — help
  10. track — to keep track
  11. club — for golf
  12. rash — hasty
  13. drill — the tool
  14. club — for dancing
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rash — a series
  18. club — a group
  19. track — a path
  20. press — newspapers
  21. track — a song
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. drill — army training
  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