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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. face — part of the head
  3. can — a tin
  4. cold — an illness
  5. snap — to click
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. face — to point toward
  8. can — to be able to
  9. root — of a word
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mark — a grade
  13. ground — a position
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. root — the cause
  16. scale — size or range
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. ground — crushed
  19. root — of a plant
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. face — to confront
  22. mark — a trace
  23. can — a tin
  24. scale — in music

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