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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 120 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. game — wild animals
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. root — of a plant
  18. game — a match
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. root — of a word
  21. pass — a permit
  22. foot — a measure
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. foot — the bottom

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