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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bank — for money
  3. root — the cause
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bank — for money
  9. row — a line
  10. bank — of a river
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fine — high quality
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. root — of a word
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. rash — a series
  23. fine — all right
  24. racket — for tennis

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