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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a word
  4. deal — to handle
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pop — soda
  19. rule — government
  20. root — of a plant
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pop — music

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