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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. root — of a word
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. deal — to handle
  5. file — a tool
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. row — a line
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. root — of a plant
  18. row — to paddle
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bat — the animal
  21. file — a document
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. root — the cause
  24. bat — in an idiom

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