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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 116 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. game — a match
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rock — a stone
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rock — music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. root — of a word
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — to protest
  17. wake — a trail
  18. root — the cause
  19. wind — moving air
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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