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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. key — in music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ground — the earth
  6. key — the most important part
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bass — the fish
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. net — for catching
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. net — after costs
  14. key — for a lock
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cold — an illness
  18. net — in sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bass — low music
  21. cold — not warm
  22. tube — a container
  23. root — of a word
  24. ground — a position

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