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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. game — a match
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pop — music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cell — a phone
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. march — the month
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. spell — magic
  18. march — the month
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. spell — letters
  22. march — music
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. root — of a word

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