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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. can — a tin
  3. ground — crushed
  4. root — the cause
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wake — a trail
  9. root — of a plant
  10. court — of a king
  11. root — of a word
  12. ground — the earth
  13. present — there
  14. can — to be able to
  15. ground — a position
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. court — for sport
  18. can — a tin
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. game — a match
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. court — of law

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