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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. root — the cause
  3. kick — in football
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. fall — the season
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. root — of a word
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spring — a coil
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. root — of a plant
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. hand — in cards

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