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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. squash — to crush
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bear — the animal
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. net — after costs
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bear — the animal
  20. net — in sport
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. net — for catching
  23. squash — the sport
  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