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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stand — to bear
  3. root — the cause
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. root — of a word
  8. ground — a position
  9. key — the most important part
  10. season — in sport
  11. scale — size or range
  12. tear — from crying
  13. root — of a plant
  14. tear — from crying
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ground — crushed
  17. key — in music
  18. game — wild animals
  19. season — of the year
  20. game — a match
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. scale — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. ground — the earth

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