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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. board — a committee
  4. spring — the season
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. date — the fruit
  10. ground — a position
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. board — to get on
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. spring — a coil
  17. root — the cause
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. spring — of water
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. staff — employees

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