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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. root — of a word
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — in cards
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bat — the animal
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. suit — to fit
  15. spring — a coil
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. root — the cause
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. kid — child
  21. root — of a plant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. sharp — with an edge

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