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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. root — the cause
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. present — the time now
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. tear — from crying
  13. club — a group
  14. root — of a word
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. snap — to click
  18. root — of a plant
  19. club — for golf
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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