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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. game — a match
  3. mug — to rob
  4. root — the cause
  5. mug — a face
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bass — low music
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cap — of ice
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. game — wild animals
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. root — of a word
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cap — a lid
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bass — the fish

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