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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. lean — thin
  3. spell — letters
  4. kid — to tease
  5. root — of a plant
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. root — of a word
  10. kid — child
  11. rush — hurry
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. root — the cause
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. spell — a short time
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lean — to bend
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. spell — magic

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