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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. root — of a word
  3. ground — the earth
  4. season — in sport
  5. face — to point toward
  6. firm — a company
  7. fall — the season
  8. ground — crushed
  9. game — a match
  10. face — part of the head
  11. ground — a position
  12. firm — decided
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. root — the cause
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. game — wild animals
  19. firm — steady
  20. face — to confront
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fall — to drop

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