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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. root — of a word
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. root — the cause
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bass — the fish
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. root — of a plant
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mark — a grade
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rash — a series

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