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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. board — a committee
  4. kid — child
  5. root — the cause
  6. board — to get on
  7. last — final
  8. dip — to sink
  9. club — a group
  10. rest — a break
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — what's left
  14. club — for golf
  15. root — of a word
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rest — what's left
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. club — for dancing
  24. board — a flat piece

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