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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pit — a hole
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rule — government
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. root — of a plant
  13. kid — child
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rule — a law
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. root — the cause
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. kid — to tease
  24. tube — a container

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