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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mark — a grade
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. staff — employees
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. staff — employees
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. game — a match
  15. rock — music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. root — of a word
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rock — a stone
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. root — the cause
  23. staff — a stick
  24. mark — a trace

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