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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rest — a break
  4. ground — a position
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wake — a trail
  9. root — of a word
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. root — the cause
  13. ground — the earth
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wake — before a funeral

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