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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cell — a phone
  5. root — of a plant
  6. game — a match
  7. root — of a word
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bass — low music
  10. root — the cause
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fine — all right
  15. bass — the fish
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. cell — in biology
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rest — a break
  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