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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 words: he'll be late again.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. root — the cause
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cue — for pool
  6. mark — a grade
  7. board — a committee
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. root — of a plant
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. hand — help
  12. root — of a word
  13. mark — a trace
  14. board — to get on
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. game — wild animals
  19. hand — in cards
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. mate — to breed
  24. game — a match

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