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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rash — a series
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rush — hurry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. root — the cause
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. chair — a leader
  18. root — of a plant
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. root — of a word
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bark — of a tree

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