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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. root — the cause
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. swing — in golf
  4. snap — to click
  5. spell — magic
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pitch — completely
  8. root — of a word
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. root — of a plant
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stem — to come from
  16. swing — music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. spell — letters
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. swing — to play on
  23. perch — for a bird
  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