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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fall — to drop
  8. root — the cause
  9. ball — a great time
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. fall — the season
  13. charge — in control
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. root — of a plant
  20. charge — a price
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. charge — electricity
  24. ball — a dance

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