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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pop — soda
  7. cold — not warm
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pop — music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pop — to visit
  21. root — of a word
  22. game — a match
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. game — wild animals

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