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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cold — not warm
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rock — a stone
  7. content — the amount
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. can — a tin
  10. content — happy
  11. press — a publisher
  12. can — to be able to
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rock — music
  18. root — the cause
  19. press — to push
  20. bore — to drill
  21. hand — help
  22. root — of a plant
  23. can — a tin
  24. press — newspapers

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