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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. root — of a word
  3. staff — employees
  4. rash — a series
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. game — wild animals
  8. staff — employees
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spell — magic
  15. staff — a stick
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. game — a match
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pit — in a race
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pit — a hole
  23. root — the cause
  24. hand — help

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