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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. root — the cause
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mark — a grade
  7. root — of a word
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — of law
  11. rush — hurry
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. court — of a king
  15. charge — in control
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. court — for sport
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mark — a trace
  23. charge — a price
  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