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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. ground — a position
  4. root — of a word
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. march — the month
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — to handle
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. roll — a cake
  14. march — music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bass — low music
  20. roll — a list
  21. ground — the earth
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a plant
  24. deal — a big deal

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