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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 124 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mark — a trace
  3. kid — child
  4. root — the cause
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mark — a grade
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kid — to tease
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. deal — to handle
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fine — high quality
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. root — of a plant
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fine — all right
  20. game — a match
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. game — wild animals
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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