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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mark — a trace
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — help
  10. ground — a position
  11. game — wild animals
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lean — thin
  14. game — a match
  15. root — of a word
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fall — the season
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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