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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. root — the cause
  3. squash — the sport
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. root — of a word
  9. cell — in biology
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. staff — employees
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cell — a phone
  20. spring — of water
  21. drill — a practice
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. squash — to crush
  24. root — of a plant

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