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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.

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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: march · kick · mate · nail · root · deal · bass · rest

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mate — a partner
  3. deal — to handle
  4. march — the month
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mate — to breed
  12. march — the month
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. march — music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. root — the cause
  19. mate — a friend
  20. root — of a plant
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. rest — a break
  24. nail — on a finger

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