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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. root — of a word
  5. cap — a lid
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cap — of ice
  8. lean — thin
  9. squash — the sport
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a skill
  13. squash — to crush
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. hand — help
  16. snap — to click
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. cap — a hat
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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