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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. kick — in football
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. root — of a plant
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. root — the cause
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. vault — a safe
  17. swing — music
  18. ground — a position
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. root — of a word
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. cold — not warm

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