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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. root — of a word
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — to breed
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. file — a document
  12. mine — for digging
  13. file — a line of people
  14. press — newspapers
  15. saw — the tool
  16. file — a tool
  17. press — to push
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. root — the cause
  20. bat — the animal
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mate — a partner

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