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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 water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — the cause
  4. firm — a company
  5. press — a publisher
  6. firm — decided
  7. cue — a hint
  8. press — to push
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. firm — steady
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. press — newspapers
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cue — a signal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cue — for pool

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