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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. root — of a plant
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pass — a permit
  18. root — of a word
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. staff — a stick
  23. chest — a box
  24. root — the cause

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