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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. club — for golf
  3. stem — to come from
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wound — an injury
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. club — a group
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fall — the season
  14. root — of a plant
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fall — to drop
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pitch — completely
  24. fall — to drop

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