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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. hand — help
  3. root — of a plant
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. swing — to play on
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. root — the cause
  18. swing — music
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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