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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cue — a hint
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. game — a match
  6. root — of a word
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wind — moving air
  9. perch — the fish
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bass — the fish
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cue — for pool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — clothes
  18. root — of a plant
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wind — moving air
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  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