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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mark — a trace
  4. game — wild animals
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. game — a match
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hand — in cards
  22. root — the cause
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bulb — of a plant

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