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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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 — of a word
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. root — of a plant
  5. present — a gift
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mark — a grade
  8. swing — in golf
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. foot — a measure
  12. root — the cause
  13. present — the time now
  14. swing — to play on
  15. kick — in football
  16. mark — a trace
  17. snap — to click
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. swing — music
  20. shower — rain
  21. present — there
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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