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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. net — after costs
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. spell — magic
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rule — a law
  15. spell — a short time
  16. root — of a plant
  17. net — for catching
  18. rule — government
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. net — in sport
  22. bulb — for light
  23. spell — letters
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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