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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — letters
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. root — of a word
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spell — a short time
  11. game — a match
  12. roll — a cake
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. row — to paddle
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. game — wild animals
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. roll — a list
  21. spell — magic
  22. root — the cause
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. row — a line

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