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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — the cause
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. root — of a plant
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stem — to come from
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bat — for baseball

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