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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. root — of a word
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pit — a hole
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ball — a great time
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. root — of a plant
  10. row — a line
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. deal — to handle
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pit — in a race
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. root — the cause

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