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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bass — the fish
  3. firm — decided
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bat — the animal
  10. firm — steady
  11. ground — crushed
  12. firm — a company
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bass — low music
  15. ground — a position
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bat — for baseball

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