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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. root — the cause
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. squash — the sport
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. root — of a word
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pass — a permit
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. track — a song
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bat — the animal
  19. track — to keep track
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. track — a path
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. root — of a plant

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