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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. hand — in cards
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hand — help
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bear — the animal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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