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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. spell — magic
  4. rash — a series
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bore — to tire
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rash — hasty
  12. spell — letters
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fall — the season
  15. root — the cause
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. root — of a word
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bore — to drill
  24. press — newspapers

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