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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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. present — there
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mug — to rob
  4. root — of a word
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. march — music
  9. firm — a company
  10. root — the cause
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mug — a cup
  13. hand — help
  14. present — the time now
  15. march — the month
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — decided
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mug — a face
  21. march — the month
  22. present — a gift
  23. foot — part of the body
  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