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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. root — of a word
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cue — a signal
  6. staff — a stick
  7. root — of a plant
  8. swing — in golf
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bound — tied together
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. staff — employees
  14. bound — certain
  15. cue — for pool
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stand — to bear
  19. root — the cause
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mate — a friend
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. stand — on your feet

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