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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. root — the cause
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. swing — to play on
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ground — a position
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. ground — crushed
  11. root — of a plant
  12. fall — to drop
  13. root — of a word
  14. fall — the season
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bark — to shout
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. swing — music

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