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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 120 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. suit — clothes
  6. root — of a word
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. kid — child
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fall — the season
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kid — to tease
  16. game — a match
  17. cue — a signal
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. root — of a plant
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fall — to drop
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cue — for pool
  24. root — the cause

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