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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. root — the cause
  3. spell — a short time
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. spell — magic
  8. root — of a plant
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ball — a great time
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ball — a dance
  13. spell — letters
  14. root — of a word
  15. firm — steady
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. firm — a company
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bat — in an idiom

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