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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. roll — a cake
  3. root — of a word
  4. ground — the earth
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. present — there
  8. spell — letters
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. roll — a list
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. spell — a short time
  14. root — the cause
  15. ground — crushed
  16. root — of a plant
  17. spell — magic
  18. ground — a position
  19. content — happy
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. present — the time now
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wake — a trail

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