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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cell — a phone
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. root — of a word
  9. march — music
  10. mug — to rob
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — hasty
  13. march — the month
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. root — the cause
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. root — of a plant
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pass — to spend time

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