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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mug — a face
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. root — the cause
  8. ground — the earth
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. ground — a position
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. ground — crushed
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. root — of a plant
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mug — a cup
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mug — to rob

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