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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. root — of a word
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. suit — to fit
  11. wake — a trail
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. row — to paddle
  14. suit — in cards
  15. mine — for digging
  16. row — a line
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cue — a hint
  23. root — the cause
  24. row — a quarrel

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