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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. content — happy
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. root — of a word
  5. spell — a short time
  6. ground — a position
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. root — of a plant
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ground — crushed
  13. spell — letters
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. root — the cause
  17. ground — the earth
  18. content — the amount
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. snap — to click
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mark — a grade

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