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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fork — in a road
  11. root — of a word
  12. clip — a video
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. club — for golf
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. club — a group
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. track — a path
  19. clip — for paper
  20. ground — a position
  21. track — a song
  22. root — the cause
  23. track — to keep track
  24. clip — to cut

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