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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wind — moving air
  4. game — a match
  5. kick — in football
  6. game — wild animals
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. capital — a city
  14. root — of a word
  15. wind — moving air
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. capital — money
  18. root — of a plant
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. game — a kind of play

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