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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. root — the cause
  3. ground — the earth
  4. file — a document
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. root — of a plant
  7. can — a tin
  8. file — a tool
  9. shower — to wash
  10. can — to be able to
  11. season — of the year
  12. roll — a list
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. file — a line of people
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. shower — rain
  17. roll — a cake
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. season — in sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. root — of a word
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. season — to add flavour

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