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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. charge — in control
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. net — for catching
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. root — of a word
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. root — of a plant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. charge — a price
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bat — the animal
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mug — to rob
  23. charge — electricity
  24. root — the cause

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