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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. last — finally
  11. rest — what's left
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. rest — a break
  23. mouse — the animal
  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