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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a plant
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lie — to recline
  6. tube — a container
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. root — of a word
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cell — a phone
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. row — a line
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bat — the animal
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bat — for baseball

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