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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're on a ________________ here.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. spring — a coil
  6. roll — a list
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. root — of a word
  11. swing — to play on
  12. spring — the season
  13. roll — a cake
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pitch — completely
  16. spring — of water
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. swing — in golf
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. swing — music
  22. rush — hurry
  23. root — the cause
  24. ruler — for measuring

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