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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. last — final
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. root — of a plant
  6. file — a tool
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. last — finally
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rash — a series
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. net — after costs
  15. root — of a word
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. net — in sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. root — the cause
  21. last — to go on
  22. net — for catching
  23. file — a document
  24. rash — hasty

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