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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. game — wild animals
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wind — moving air
  8. game — a match
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ground — a position
  12. rush — hurry
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. root — the cause
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. root — of a word
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wind — moving air

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