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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mate — a partner
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pop — music
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cue — a hint
  8. root — of a word
  9. cue — a signal
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. game — a match
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cue — for pool
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pop — soda
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. root — the cause
  23. mate — a friend
  24. kid — to tease

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