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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. root — of a plant
  5. last — final
  6. pit — a hole
  7. game — a match
  8. rest — what's left
  9. game — wild animals
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. root — of a word
  12. last — to go on
  13. root — the cause
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rest — a break
  16. last — finally
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wind — moving air
  24. deal — to handle

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