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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mark — a grade
  4. root — the cause
  5. bulb — for light
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. last — final
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. last — finally
  15. rest — a break
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. last — to go on
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rest — what's left
  20. root — of a plant
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kick — in football
  23. root — of a word
  24. straw — dry grass

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