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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rest — what's left
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fine — all right
  5. craft — a skill
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fine — high quality
  8. root — the cause
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rest — a break
  11. pound — a weight
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. rest — what's left
  16. craft — boats
  17. game — a match
  18. hand — in cards
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. hand — help
  24. pound — to hit hard

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