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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. object — to protest
  3. pitch — completely
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. object — a thing
  10. root — the cause
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. file — a document
  13. cell — a phone
  14. file — a line of people
  15. spell — letters
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. kid — child
  19. object — an aim
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spell — magic

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