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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. row — to paddle
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mate — a friend
  8. spring — a coil
  9. row — a line
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. root — the cause
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitch — a sports field

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