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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pit — in a race
  4. suit — clothes
  5. root — of a plant
  6. last — to go on
  7. rock — music
  8. game — wild animals
  9. foot — a measure
  10. last — final
  11. pit — a hole
  12. root — of a word
  13. suit — to fit
  14. kick — in football
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. root — the cause
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. last — finally
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. suit — in cards
  24. rock — a stone

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