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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rock — music
  3. net — after costs
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fall — to drop
  6. root — of a plant
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. deal — to handle
  10. net — in sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fall — the season
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. net — for catching
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — the cause

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