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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. hand — in cards
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. tube — a container
  5. mine — for digging
  6. root — of a word
  7. present — the time now
  8. rule — government
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. tube — the underground
  17. root — the cause
  18. present — a gift
  19. rule — a law
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. root — of a plant
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tube — in a tire

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