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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 124 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. hand — in cards
  8. deal — to handle
  9. hand — help
  10. ball — a dance
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cell — in biology
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. root — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. toast — bread
  23. rash — a series
  24. stem — to come from

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