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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. charge — in control
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cell — a phone
  8. net — after costs
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. charge — electricity
  11. deal — to handle
  12. net — in sport
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rash — a series
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. root — the cause
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wind — moving air
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. net — for catching
  24. charge — a price

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