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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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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. game — a match
  2. staff — employees
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. root — of a word
  6. wake — a trail
  7. staff — employees
  8. charge — electricity
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. charge — in control
  11. bulb — for light
  12. charge — a price
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. staff — a stick
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bulb — for light
  21. root — the cause
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. perch — for a bird
  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