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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. press — to push
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bound — obliged
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bound — certain
  9. root — of a plant
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bound — tied together
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pop — music
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. game — a match
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. root — of a word
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. game — wild animals

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