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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pitch — completely
  6. root — of a plant
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. net — after costs
  12. row — a line
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. net — in sport
  15. root — the cause
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. content — happy
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ball — a dance
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. content — the amount
  23. ball — a great time
  24. row — to paddle

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