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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. present — a gift
  3. fine — high quality
  4. present — there
  5. root — of a word
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. march — the month
  8. fine — all right
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. root — of a plant
  12. ground — crushed
  13. present — the time now
  14. cue — a signal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — a position
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. root — the cause
  24. mouse — for a computer

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