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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. capital — money
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rest — what's left
  11. root — the cause
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rest — a break
  14. wind — moving air
  15. root — of a word
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. dip — to sink
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. capital — a city
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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