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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 120 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. net — in sport
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rash — hasty
  13. root — of a word
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. root — the cause
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. net — for catching
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. net — after costs
  24. rush — a thrill

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