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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mate — to breed
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rash — a series
  6. mate — a partner
  7. root — the cause
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. root — of a plant
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. last — final
  17. root — of a word
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rash — hasty
  21. last — finally
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cell — in biology
  24. last — to go on

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