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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bound — obliged
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. root — the cause
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ball — a dance
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. bound — certain
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bound — tied together

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