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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. spell — letters
  4. hand — in cards
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spell — magic
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. spell — a short time
  9. hand — help
  10. saw — the tool
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. swing — in golf
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. saw — the tool
  18. root — the cause
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. swing — to play on
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. swing — music
  23. root — of a plant
  24. ruler — for measuring

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