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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. root — of a word
  3. saw — the tool
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. swing — music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rule — government
  10. snap — to click
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. can — to be able to
  13. swing — to play on
  14. root — the cause
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. game — a match
  17. root — of a plant
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mark — a trace
  21. can — a tin
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mark — a grade
  24. swing — in golf

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