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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · mate · cold · bore · net · game · straw · root

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. cold — not warm
  6. game — a match
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bore — to tire
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. net — in sport
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bore — to drill
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mate — to breed
  24. straw — dry grass

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