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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. root — the cause
  5. cue — a hint
  6. fine — all right
  7. root — of a word
  8. cue — a signal
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stem — to come from
  15. march — music
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cue — for pool
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. march — the month
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. march — the month
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fine — high quality

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