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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. foot — a measure
  3. staff — a stick
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. roll — a cake
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. staff — employees
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. sharp — clever
  11. staff — employees
  12. roll — a list
  13. root — the cause
  14. hand — help
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. firm — a company
  17. hand — in cards
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. root — of a plant
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. firm — steady
  23. root — of a word
  24. foot — part of the body

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