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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. root — the cause
  4. rash — a series
  5. present — a gift
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. lie — to recline
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rash — hasty
  11. craft — boats
  12. cold — not warm
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. craft — a skill
  19. row — a line
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. row — to paddle
  22. cold — an illness
  23. root — of a word
  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