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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. root — of a word
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. root — the cause
  6. bank — for money
  7. hand — help
  8. bank — for money
  9. squash — the sport
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pitch — completely
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bank — of a river
  15. season — of the year
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. tear — to rip
  20. season — in sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pitch — a sports field

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