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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. land — ground
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. root — of a word
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. ground — crushed
  14. land — a country
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. land — to come down
  22. ground — a position
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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