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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. object — an aim
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. root — of a plant
  7. object — to protest
  8. bass — the fish
  9. kick — in football
  10. root — the cause
  11. game — a match
  12. drill — army training
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stem — to come from
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. root — of a word
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bass — low music
  22. game — wild animals
  23. object — a thing
  24. drill — the tool

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