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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. mate — to breed
  3. roll — a cake
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. chest — of your body
  10. roll — a list
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chest — a box
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. capital — a city
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rest — a break
  18. root — of a word
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rest — what's left
  21. root — the cause
  22. rash — a series
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mate — a partner

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