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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. spring — a coil
  5. last — final
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. mark — a grade
  9. swing — to play on
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ground — the earth
  12. swing — music
  13. root — of a plant
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. last — to go on
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. spring — of water
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mark — a trace
  20. root — of a word
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. root — the cause
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spring — the season

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