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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pit — in a race
  3. ground — crushed
  4. suit — in cards
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. root — the cause
  9. ground — the earth
  10. suit — to fit
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pit — a hole
  14. ground — a position
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. root — of a word
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cold — an illness
  23. suit — clothes
  24. rash — a series

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