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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. net — for catching
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mug — a face
  7. root — the cause
  8. bound — certain
  9. cold — an illness
  10. chip — for betting
  11. root — of a word
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. net — after costs
  14. bound — tied together
  15. chip — to eat
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bound — obliged
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mug — to rob
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. root — of a plant
  23. net — in sport
  24. cold — not warm

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