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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mug — a face
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cue — a hint
  7. board — to get on
  8. cue — a signal
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. root — the cause
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cue — for pool
  14. root — of a word
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bear — the animal
  19. file — a tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. board — a committee
  23. mug — to rob
  24. file — a document

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