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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. game — wild animals
  3. root — of a word
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cell — in biology
  6. root — of a plant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mate — a friend
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. deal — to handle
  13. game — a match
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. net — after costs
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. root — the cause
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. net — for catching
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. net — in sport
  24. mate — a partner

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