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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. deal — to handle
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. root — of a word
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. content — the amount
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. content — happy
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. sharp — clever
  16. root — of a plant
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. root — the cause
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rash — a series

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