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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 116 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cell — a phone
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. sharp — clever
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. kid — child
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. cell — in biology
  18. kid — to tease
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. root — of a word
  21. drill — army training
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. drill — a practice

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