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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. roll — a cake
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. track — a path
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — there
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. root — the cause
  16. track — to keep track
  17. present — the time now
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. roll — a list
  22. root — of a word
  23. track — a song
  24. racket — a loud noise

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