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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. root — of a word
  3. rash — hasty
  4. suit — to fit
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. band — a music group
  7. suit — clothes
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rash — a series
  11. game — a match
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. suit — in cards
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. root — the cause
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mine — for digging
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rush — hurry
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. band — a ring
  23. game — wild animals
  24. key — the most important part

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