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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. root — of a word
  2. row — a line
  3. fall — the season
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. hand — in cards
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hand — help
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. root — the cause
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bore — to tire
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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