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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rule — a law
  3. swing — in golf
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mug — to rob
  8. root — the cause
  9. mark — a grade
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. chest — a box
  16. mark — a trace
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. swing — music
  20. rule — government
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mine — belonging to me

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