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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. season — in sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. present — there
  6. root — the cause
  7. pop — soda
  8. lean — to bend
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. capital — money
  11. season — of the year
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pop — music
  14. root — of a plant
  15. capital — a city
  16. pop — to visit
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. lean — thin
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. present — the time now
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. root — of a word
  23. present — a gift
  24. hide — to keep secret

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