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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 don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fine — high quality
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. root — the cause
  6. spring — the season
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. fine — all right
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. spring — of water
  11. root — of a word
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. track — a song
  15. vault — a safe
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. spring — a coil
  19. snap — to click
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. game — a match
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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