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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kid — to tease
  4. root — of a word
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. deal — to handle
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mate — to breed
  12. root — of a plant
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. kid — child
  15. ground — crushed
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mate — a friend
  18. root — the cause
  19. ground — a position
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. straw — a straw man

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