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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — the cause
  4. bound — certain
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pit — a hole
  7. content — happy
  8. hand — help
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bound — tied together
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pit — in a race
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bound — obliged
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. ball — a round shape

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