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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. root — of a plant
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. plane — a tool
  7. root — of a word
  8. mate — a friend
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mate — to breed
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. game — a match
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mug — a face
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mug — to rob
  20. prune — to trim
  21. root — the cause
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cold — an illness
  24. game — wild animals

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