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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 120 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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. file — a tool
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a word
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. file — a document
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pitch — completely
  16. foot — a measure
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. content — the amount
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. content — happy
  24. pitch — a sports field

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