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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. root — of a plant
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. root — the cause
  8. bat — the animal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. root — of a word
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rest — a break
  16. ground — the earth
  17. scale — in music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. rest — what's left
  23. sharp — clever
  24. snap — to click

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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