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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 124 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. squash — the sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. root — of a word
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. ground — crushed
  9. root — the cause
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. root — of a plant
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. lean — to bend
  16. ground — the earth
  17. squash — to crush
  18. court — for sport
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mine — for digging
  21. court — of a king
  22. lean — thin
  23. court — of law
  24. hide — animal skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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