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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. root — of a plant
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. object — to protest
  6. root — of a word
  7. swing — to play on
  8. chest — a box
  9. swing — music
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. chest — of your body
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mate — a friend
  14. row — a line
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. snap — to click
  17. row — to paddle
  18. object — an aim
  19. chest — of your body
  20. object — a thing
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. root — the cause

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