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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. present — a gift
  3. bear — the animal
  4. root — the cause
  5. present — the time now
  6. root — of a plant
  7. rest — what's left
  8. present — there
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kid — child
  11. net — for catching
  12. rest — a break
  13. net — in sport
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. hand — in cards
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. net — after costs
  19. root — of a word
  20. rock — a stone
  21. hand — help
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rock — to move gently

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