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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. ball — a great time
  3. game — a match
  4. root — the cause
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. kid — child
  13. root — of a word
  14. kid — to tease
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ball — a dance
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. root — of a plant

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