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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. root — the cause
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. band — a ring
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ground — the earth
  14. band — a music group
  15. ground — a position
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. spell — magic
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. root — of a word

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