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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. object — a thing
  3. present — the time now
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. sharp — clever
  6. last — to go on
  7. present — there
  8. last — final
  9. present — a gift
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. object — to protest
  13. root — of a word
  14. deal — to handle
  15. kick — in football
  16. last — finally
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. root — the cause
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. object — an aim
  24. root — 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