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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. present — the time now
  6. root — of a word
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rest — a break
  9. net — after costs
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bound — certain
  13. present — there
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rash — a series
  16. net — in sport
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. root — the cause
  19. present — a gift
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rash — hasty
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rest — what's left

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