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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. press — newspapers
  3. file — a line of people
  4. root — the cause
  5. cold — an illness
  6. root — of a word
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cold — not warm
  10. kick — in football
  11. spell — a short time
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. press — to push
  14. spell — magic
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. file — a tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. file — a document
  19. press — a publisher
  20. root — of a plant
  21. spell — letters
  22. squash — to crush
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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