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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ground — the earth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rash — a series
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ground — a position
  11. root — the cause
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. root — of a word
  14. sharp — clever
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ground — crushed
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kick — in football
  24. wound — an injury

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