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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. fine — all right
  8. root — of a word
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pop — music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. dip — to sink
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pop — soda
  17. root — the cause
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. root — of a plant
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fine — high quality
  24. rash — a series

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