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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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468
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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rest — what's left
  8. root — of a word
  9. fine — all right
  10. cold — not warm
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. rest — a break
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. root — the cause
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. cold — an illness
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. press — newspapers
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rest — what's left

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